In his speech at the last Palarong Pambansa, President Duterte emphasized the revival of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program in the Philippines. He told the athletes about the need for civilians to “sacrifice for country.” He even broached the idea of conscription or compulsory military enlistment for all civilians as an alternative to the ROTC.
I’ve been telling my friends several times that the ROTC is the only subject in college that teaches students patriotism. No other subject comes close.
Come to think of it: had we had the ROTC in our schools when Abu Sayyaf terrorists landed in Inabanga, Bohol, we could have mobilized ROTC cadets very familiar with the terrain there to help the 7th Infantry Brigade go after the criminals as it was already vacation time. The military could have issued the cadets, who have undergone the proper training, weapons to fight the terrorists.
I believe that the scrapping of the ROTC program in 2002 was a “short-sighted” move. With the Philippines facing internal threats from terrorists, communist rebels and Muslim separatists, all the more is there a need to revive the ROTC—but with a “new twist.”: as a means to
inculcate among the youth military discipline or, perhaps, prepare them for search and rescue
operations following disasters like typhoons
and earthquakes.
For those who oppose the revival of the ROTC, better think twice: Among the alternatives under consideration by the President is conscription. In Israel, able-bodied Israelis who are more than 18 years old are conscripted into military service. Conscription is also done in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
Do we want our young to be conscripted into the military? Or would we rather revive the ROTC to equip our youth with the right attitude and necessary skills for military service? Without ROTC graduates and trained uniformed men, who will protect the Philippines from its
enemies? The fact is, in the future our country will be facing different, perhaps, more formidable security challenges.
CARIDAD E. ULLEGUE, caridad_u@outlook.com