ROTC—A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD

Upon reaching higher education, one is presented with many choices Among these choices is participation in extracurricular electives and one known among the aforementioned is the Reserve Officer Training Corps, or ROTC, as we commonly refer to it

Through the ROTC program, aspiring student cadets grasp their chance to be among the great heroes and legends of our nation

Through hours of dedicated training and education, they too could stand among the ranks of the military and be among our greatest defenders

Over the course of the past year, lawmakers of our nation have been pushing this voluntary activity to be voluntary no longer Various government officials hope to reinstate the ROTC program into the student’s curriculum However, such a requirement in curriculums is not unheard of in the history of the Philippines. On February 8, 1967, the late President Ferdinand Marcos Sr issued Executive Order 59 Through this order, the ROTC program was made a part of the curriculum for all male students in college

The late president’s attempt to bolster and further strengthen the forces of our nation brought even more problems in the future onwards: records of violence, corruption, injustice, and the such These, along with many other scandals within the ROTC, tainted- the general public’s perception of the program Later on, on January 23, 2002, then-president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9163, or the National Service Training Program Act of 2001, which made the ROTC elective noncompulsory once again

Twenty years later, many members of the Philippine Government, notable examples of which include Vice President Sara Duterte, Senator Robin Padilla, and Ronald Dela Rosa, are now pushing for the reinstatement of the mandatory ROTC for all senior high school and collegiate students Few of the youth and old, specifically progressive and student activist groups, are protesting against this

According to the results of a survey conducted by OCTA Research, 68% of Filipinos are in favor of the reinstation of the ROTC as a mandatory part of a collegiate’s curriculum, while 28% are against it With a majority of the 68% being composed of people from the age range of 18-34, it gives us an image one of dread and disappointment Despite the bloodstained history of the ROTC, many remain in favor of it The people of the modern age, despite the technologies and information readily available, forget the errors of the generations before the present Even with the aforementioned, many still choose to whitewash these mistakes and brush them off as a “one-off thing”, preferring to forget They choose not to weigh the potential benefits and consequences, and motives of- reinstating such a law and instead resort to believing whatever is presented to them by others on social media For many, ignorance is bliss

It is a fact that the reinstatement of the ROTC provides our nation with a few benefits (e g discipline, etc ) However, inevitably, consequences will arise (e g return of abuse) If ever we were to reinstate such a law, the government, the constituents, and the citizens must make certain of one thing and that is the errors of those in the past shall not be committed again and that those standing today prevent the consequences The youth of today carries the power to change the destiny of the future,- thus those who have gone through the hardships of yesterday must guide those who live today to decide the best for the masses and their tomorrows If we are to be complacent and let some repeat known mistakes, then the change that many long for will be impossible to attain

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom