Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Should Not Be Made Mandatory

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps or ROTC started in the Philippines in 1912 when

the Philippine Constabulary commenced with military instruction at the University of the

Philippines where the first official ROTC unit in the Philippines was also established on

July 1922. Through the Executive Order No. 207 or the National Defense Act No. 1,

ROTC was made obligatory at all colleges and universities with a total enrollment of 100

students and greater. Republic Act 7077 otherwise known as the “Citizen Armed Forces

of the Philippines Reservist Act” provided for organization, training and utilization of

reservists. The primary pool of manpower for the reservist organization are graduates of

ROTC Basic and advance courses. The ROTC program of the Philippines was for many

decades a compelling aspect affecting the lives of youths, especially those who went in

pursuit of college education. It was also significant contributor to the officer corps of the

Armed Forces of the Philippines. Republic Act 9163 or the “National Service Training

Program Act of 2001” was promulgated in 2001 and made ROTC as one of the three

program component that students should undergo for an academic period of two

semesters. In 2006, Alfredo Lim sponsored Senate Bill 2224 and Representative

Eduardo Gullas sponsored House bill 5460 seeking to make ROTC mandatory. In

February of 2017, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the proposal to revive the

mandatory nature of ROTC. At present, Senate Bill No. 2232 or the Senior High School

Reserve Officers Training Corps Act is already pending for second reading. The bill

seeks to mandate ROTC to be a compulsory requirement for Grade 11 and 12 in public

and private educational institutions that shall serve as vital role for the youth in nation

building, promote civic consciousness, inculcate patriotism and nationalism and

love of country and good citizenship” as qualified by the President, however, we

opposed on making the Reserved Officers Training Corps as mandatory.

Senate Bill 2232: On the basic ROTC

The Basic ROTC, based on Senate Bill 2232, seeks to enhance the students

consciousness in the ethics of service, patriotism and nationalism, respect for human

rights, appreciation of the role of national heroes in the historical development of the

country, strengthen ethical and spiritual values, develop personal discipline and

leadership and to encourage creative thinking for scientific and technological

development. The Basic Military training for students aims to motivate, train, organize

and utilize them for national defense preparedness or civil-military operations. The Civic

trainings aims to make the students to be an active participants and volunteers for the

development and improvement of health, education, ecology and environmental

protection, human and civil rights awareness and law enforcement. Integration of

capacity-building activities revolving around risk-related situations in order for students

to be proactive in lessening the socio-economic and environmental impacts of disasters

including climate change.

ROTC: hotbed of abuse and corruption that would potentially endanger the youth

At present, Kabataan party-list stand firm on their position to abolish the mandatory

ROTC. On House Resolution No. 2475, the party-list support the unity statement of

various youth and student leaders and formations against the mandatory ROTC in

senior high schools. They held that ROTC must be abolished to stop mercenary
traditions of the military and Philippine army inside universities and colleges and that

utilizing campuses as military training grounds are inconsistent with International

Humanitarian Law and treaties. Inherent practices and traditions in the said program

that imparts violence, culture of impunity, and reactionary stance against students and

youths who are just tirelessly fighting for the youth and Filipino people’s basic human

rights. ROTC, also, is in violation with Republic Act 7610 or the Special Protection of

Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act which affirms that schools,

hospitals and rural health units shall not be used for military purposes. The AFP also

inculcates the military culture of corruption and political patronage, sexism and

machismo, human rights violations, and ideological bigotry through ROTC, which is

inconsistent with academic freedom and is detrimental to the development of the youth.

From the inception of the ROTC program, cases of harassments and abuses were

reported. In 2001, a UST student, Mark Welson Chua, was brutally murdered after

exposing the corruption and abuses in the program. In 2004, students from the

Polytechnic University of the Philippines and De La Salle University exposed the

violence and hazing. Hazing is prohibited under Anti-Hazing Law of Republic Act 8049.

Mandatory ROTC will just increase and further intensify the discretion of the students’

democratic rights and welfare.

The Social Action Program

This is a fight for a scientific, nationalist, and mass-oriented education as alternative to

the current colonial, commercialized, and fascist educational system in order to

strengthen the love of country, good citizenship, and nationalism among students. On

July of 2001, Bayan Muna representative Liza Masa introduces a bill seeking the
creation of the Social Action Program (SAP) and the abolition of the ROTC. SAP

introduces activities that include advocacy program, anti-drug abuse campaigns,

community immersion, ecological services, human rights education, informal literacy

programs, medical trainings, and rescue and relief operations. These activities are very

much aligned with the aim of the Senate Bill 2232 on the basic ROTC Program which

can be an alternative means to instill love of country and good citizenship.

The love for country: Patriotism, Nationalism and Respect for Human Rights

The passing of mandatory will just promote violence, abuse, bribery, and will put the

youth in danger. Making ROTC mandatory is injustice for the victims of the said

programs. There are far more alternative means that would not put our youth in such

danger. If the government wants to produce citizens who have patriotism, nationalism

and respect for human rights, making ROTC mandatory is not the solution; but rather, a

total overhaul of the current educational system is needed.