Bring back discipline through ROTC

Finally the Committee on National Defense got the proposed House Bill no.309 filed by Rep. Eduardo “Eddiegul” Gullas seeking the return of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) back in College in lieu of the National Service Training Program (NSTP). It’s about time! When I was the chairman of the Regional Development Council’s (RDC-7) Development Administration Committee (DevAd) we adopted this proposal after a very thorough discussion and presented it last year to the RDC Full Council meeting in Tagbilaran, Bohol, which wholehearted adopted this proposal for the return of the ROTC back to our schools. Now this piece of new has been given prominence in the front page of “The Philippine Star” yesterday.

We fully support this program for many good reasons. First of all, the NSTP gives what is known as “Community Service” to our students. This is why on Saturdays you will see many students cleaning up your barangays. I believe that because of this clean-up drive done by students, our people have become too lazy to clean up their own surroundings; after all, students are expected to pass by their barangays to do the cleaning up. Recently, I even saw students from the University of San Carlos (USC) in Barangay Budlaan, an area in that barangay where tourist never gets to see. In the US, Community Services is the penalty for first time offenders who break the law.

Perhaps the most important reason why I strongly insist that the ROTC should be brought back to our schools is the basic need of our country to have men in ready to help our nation in times of crisis, whether it is a natural disaster, civil disturbance, security for important events or even war. No doubt, the biggest headache that our schools and our cities are experiencing is the never-ending fraternity wars between the Alpha Kappa Rho (Akrho) against the Tau Gamma Phi.

Between these two frats, there are probably more than eight thousand members from both sides promoting hatred against one another which more often than not ends up in senseless killings. Tap the pent-up energy of these youth by putting them on the ROTC, which for me is the only course in College that teaches us love of country. What other subjects in school teaches us to defend our country?

The reason why ROTC was removed was due to corruption and that hazing case among the officers that killed a young officer. These were issues that could have been easily addressed by the Armed Forces Reserve Command. Back in those days, the Department of Education (DepEd) left it entirely to the control of the Army Reserve. This is why even in our day, scions of rich families who didn’t want their kids to march in the ROTC got away by paying under the table the Master Sergeant assigned to a school by merely presenting a medical certificate. Obviously, their own doctors who are close family friends issued these.

When the ROTC is returned to our schools, only a valid medical certificate by the school doctor should be entertained to ensure that someone’s kid who cannot take the physical load of the ROTC gets exempted. The rest should take the ROTC, which is a requirement in most countries. It is the cheapest way to train our youth to be disciplined in life and if they wish to become future soldiers, that option is available for them.

The old ROTC curriculum should be changed. In our days our ROTC training was geared towards a possible invasion by a foreign power. It was good especially during pre-war days where many of the ROTC graduates like my uncle Col. Manuel F. Segura became instant soldiers to fight the Japanese in the hills. If you didn’t know, Japanese Imperial Officer Rear Admiral Shigeru Fukudome was the highest ranking Japanese officer ever captured during World War II and proudly he was captured by Cebuano guerrillas from his downed Kawanishi flying boat off the coast of San Fernando, bringing with him the famous Sho or Z Plan for the defense of the remaining Japanese occupied territories by 1944.

But these are different times. We need a multi-tasking ROTC where trainees should be taught how to deal with natural disasters, like typhoons, which means cutting trees, learning to avoid downed power lines and other storm debris. Then there’s the need to handle floods or flash floods and how to rescue trapped civilians. Whenever we have the Sinulog or other special events, the ROTC can help in cordoning the activity area or even in traffic management and cleaning up the festival area.

Finally, the ROTC should be trained in the art of war. That means learning to handle a firearm and close quarter combat, where martial arts can be of great use. Let us all support this move so we can have a more disciplined youth and have better future leaders.