Military training program
A soldier of the
1st Scout Ranger Regiment
of the
Philippine Army
instructs an ROTC cadet officer on the finer points of the
M16 rifle
Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)
in the
Philippines
is one of three components of the
National Service Training Program
, the civic education and defense preparedness program for
Filipino
college
students.
[1]
ROTC aims to provide
military education and training
for students to mobilize them for national defense preparedness.
[2]
Its specific objectives include preparation of college students for service in the
Armed Forces of the Philippines
in the event of an
emergency
and their training to become
reservists
and potential commissioned
officers
of the AFP.
Graduates of the ROTC advance program serve in all branches of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In 2008, ROTC graduates of the officer candidate schools of the various services constituted roughly 75% of the AFP officer corps.
[3]
The ROTC grants qualified student-cadets scholarship benefits through a merit-based
incentive program
in return for an obligation of military service in the reserve force, or active duty in the AFP if given the opportunity, after graduation.
ROTC student-cadets attend college like other students, but also receive basic military training and officer training from the branch of service that handles their school's ROTC unit. The students participate in regular ROTC instruction during the school year (one school year for Basic ROTC student-cadets and three school years for Advance ROTC cadet-officers), and extended training activities during the summer, such as the ROTC Summer Camp Training (RSCT) and the Advance ROTC Academic Phase Training (ARAPT).
ROTC units in
colleges and universities
are organized through the Department of Military Science and Tactics (DMST) which is under joint supervision by the school administration and the
Department of National Defense
. These ROTC units are in turn managed by active duty officers of the AFP and the reservist organization representatives of the major services, the
Philippine Army Reserve Command
of the
Philippine Army
, the
Philippine Navy Reserve Command
of the
Philippine Navy
and the
Philippine Air Force Reserve Command
of the
Philippine Air Force
.
Nomenclature
[
edit
]
Commonwealth Act No. 1, the
National Defense Act of 1935
, referred to the ROTC as the "
Reserve Officers Training Corps
",
[4]
whereas Republic Act No. 7077, the
Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act of 1991
, referred to the ROTC as the "
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
",
[5]
ascribing the
possessive
form to the word "officers".
Republic Act No. 9163, the
National Service Training Program Act of 2001
likewise uses the same possessive form as RA 7077.
[1]
History
[
edit
]
ROTC in the Philippines began in 1912 when the
Philippine Constabulary
commenced with
military instruction
at the
University of the Philippines
. The university's Board of Regents then made representations to the
United States Department of War
through the
Governor-General
and received the services of a
United States Army
officer who took on the duties of a professor of
Military Science
. Through this arrangement, the first official ROTC unit in the Philippines was established in the University of the Philippines on July 3, 1922.
[6]
In 1921,
National University
became the first private college in the Philippines to have an ROTC unit. Later in the same year,
Ateneo de Manila University
,
Liceo de Manila
, and
Colegio de San Juan de Letran
soon followed suit and organized their own respective ROTC units. In 1936, the Office of the Superintendent for ROTC Units under the
Philippine Army
was activated to supervise all ROTC units in the country.
[6]
National Defense Act of 1935
[
edit
]
President
Manuel Quezon
controlled the National Assembly which enacted the National Defense Act of 1935
President
Ferdinand Marcos
issued Presidential Decree No. 1706 in 1980
President
Corazon Aquino
signed Republic Act 7077 into law in 1991
President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo
signed Republic Act 9163 into law in 2002
President
Manuel L. Quezon
issued Executive Order No. 207 in 1939 in order to implement the National Defense Act of 1935, otherwise known as
Commonwealth
Act No. 1,
[4]
the embodiment of the national defense plan formulated by General
Douglas MacArthur
for the Philippine Commonwealth. This
executive order
made ROTC obligatory at all colleges and universities with a total enrollment of 100 students and greater. This measure was made in order to help fill out the reserve force requirement of 400,000 men by 1946 and especially for junior reserve officers.
[7]
World War II
[
edit
]
At the onset of World War II in 1941, thirty-three colleges and universities in the Philippines had organized ROTC units, the cadets and officers of which would see action for the first time. Elements from different ROTC units in
Metro Manila
took part in the
Battle of Bataan
. ROTC cadets of
Silliman University
in the
Visayas
made up 45% of the strength of the 75th Infantry Regiment of the
United States Army Forces in the Far East
(USAFFE).
[6]
Various ROTC units joined volunteers from the
Philippine Military Academy
to form the
Hunters ROTC
guerrilla group, which took part in the
resistance movement
during the
Japanese occupation
after the last American and Filipino forces had surrendered.
[6]
Post-World War II
[
edit
]
On September 13, 1946, the Philippine Army Headquarters reactivated the pre-war ROTC units. The Philippine Army became the
Armed Forces of the Philippines
on December 23, 1950, at which time the Philippines was divided into four military areas and ROTC units operating within these areas fell under the supervision of their respective Area Commanders. On February 8, 1967, President
Ferdinand Marcos
rescinded Executive Order No. 207 of 1939, promulgating Executive Order No. 59 in its place. This executive order made ROTC mandatory at all colleges, universities, and other institutions with an enrollment of 250 male students and greater.
[6]
President Marcos also issued Presidential Decree No. 1706, otherwise known as the "National Service Law", on August 8, 1980. It made national service obligatory for all Filipino citizens and specified three categories of national service: civic welfare service, law enforcement service, and military service.
[8]
Republic Act 7077
[
edit
]
Republic Act 7077, otherwise known as the "Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act", was enacted by the
8th Congress of the Philippines
on June 27, 1991. The Reservist Act provided for the organization, training, and utilization of
reservists
, referred to in the Act as "Citizen Soldiers". The primary pool of manpower for the reservist organization is graduates of the ROTC basic and advanced courses.
[5]
ROTC Games
[
edit
]
The
Commission on Higher Education
along with the
Armed Forces of the Philippines
, the
Philippine Sports Commission
, and the office of Senator
Francis Tolentino
signed an agreement establishing the ROTC Games National Championships in December 2022.
[9]
The finals of the first edition was held in October 2023.
[10]
[11]
[12]
Controversy
[
edit
]
A period of discontent over ROTC's conduct and the corruption that often plagued its individual units had long been fermenting prior to 2000. Filipino student
websites
often contain short
essays
regarding the alleged pointlessness of the program. Student groups would occasionally include ROTC in their roster of grievances, whereas lawmakers would introduce resolutions intended to abolish ROTC.
[13]
Into this national mood of resentment fell a tragedy that would have a significant impact on the Philippine ROTC program. Mark Welson Chua, a student of the
University of Santo Tomas
and a member of the
UST ROTC unit
, was found dead, his body floating in the
Pasig River
on March 18, 2001. Prior to his death, he and another student had reported an account of alleged corruption within the UST ROTC unit to the school's student publication.
[14]
The
National Bureau of Investigation
would later conclude that members of the UST ROTC unit were responsible for Chua's death.
[15]
One of the suspects would be sentenced to death three years later.
[16]
The incident set off an explosion of anti-ROTC sentiment as student associations, school administrators and other cause-oriented groups focused on protests and parliamentary approaches to the matter. The
Congress of the Philippines
took up the legal challenge; generating no less than seventeen bills and resolutions in both houses of Congress, in response to the clamor. Many of the bills mentioned Mark Chua in the text, acknowledging his death as the catalyst for reform.
[17]
Republic Act 9163
[
edit
]
Republic Act
9163, otherwise known as the "National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001", was Congress' answer to the clamor for change in the ROTC program. It was promulgated by the
12th Congress of the Philippines
on January 23, 2002. Under the NSTP Program, both male and female college students of any baccalaureate degree course or technical vocational course in public or private educational institutions are obliged to undergo one of three program components, one of which is ROTC, for an academic period of two semesters. However, ROTC as a pre-requisite for graduation was rescinded.
[1]
Impact on Philippine society
[
edit
]
The ROTC program of the Philippines was for many decades a compelling aspect affecting the lives of male youths whom many despises it and even question it as to its relevance in pursuing a college education. It was also a significant contributor to the corruption and abuses within the ranks of the subject as expose by
Mark Welson Chua
before being murdered by his fellow ROTC Officers. But unbeknownst to the public, the ROTC program has undergone numerous unacknowledged name changes, like in the 1960s through the mid-1970s it was called "Philippine Military Training" or PMT, and then from the late 1970s up to the early 1990s it was called "Citizen Military Training" or CMT, also advance training did not begin until the mid-1970s when cadets who desired to be cadet officers underwent what was called "Cadet Officers Candidate Course" or COCC.
Armed Forces of the Philippines
[
edit
]
As of 2008, ROTC graduates of the various services constituted roughly 75% of the AFP officer corps; the rest come from the ranks of the
Philippine Military Academy
.
[3]
Among the more prominent graduates of the Philippine ROTC program are Gen.
Alfredo M. Santos
,
Chief of Staff
of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 1962 to 1965 and the first
four-star general
of the AFP, Gen. Rigoberto J. Atienza, 9th Chief of Staff of the AFP and for whom
Camp Atienza
in
Quezon City
is named, and Gen.
Romeo C. Espino
, the longest-serving AFP Chief of Staff who served from January 15, 1972, to August 16, 1981.
[3]
Gen. Santos was a
civil engineering
graduate of
Mapua Institute of Technology
and was the Corp Commander of the
Mapua Institute of Technology Reserve Officers' Training Corps
; Gen. Atienza, a civil engineering graduate of the
University of the Philippines
, and Gen. Espino an
agriculture
graduate of
University of the Philippines Los Banos
.
[3]
Another notable ROTC graduate was Gen.
Fabian C. Ver
, AFP Chief of Staff under
Ferdinand Marcos
and director general of the
National Intelligence and Security Authority
.
[3]
Post-2001 ROTC
[
edit
]
ROTC enrollment before and after 2001
School Year
|
Students enrolled in ROTC
|
1999-2000
|
|
2011-2012
|
|
School participation in the ROTC program
Year
|
Schools with active ROTC programs
|
Pre-2001
|
|
2011
|
|
At present, ROTC is no longer a mandatory program for college students, but an optional program component of the NSTP. The ROTC program accepts both male and female cadets. According to the latest available data, there has been a significant reduction in the number of students enrolling in ROTC. From more than 800,000 enrolled cadets during the 1999-2000
school year
, ROTC enrollment has dropped to 150,000 as of 2011. During the first quarter of 2011, 500 colleges and universities were participating in the ROTC program. This is a sharp decline from the 2,000 schools offering ROTC before the National Service Training Program was enforced.
[18]
According to the
Commission on Higher Education
, the ROTC component of NSTP has produced 1,435,000 graduates over a ten-year period from 2002 to 2012. In comparison, the CWTS and LTS components of NSTP has produced 8,614,000 and 538,700 graduates respectively.
[19]
Proposals for and against mandatory implementation
[
edit
]
A comparison of the number of ROTC graduates against other NSTP component graduates, 2002-2012
NSTP Component
|
No. of Graduates
|
CWTS
|
8,614,000
|
LTS
|
538,700
|
ROTC
|
1,435,000
|
In 2006,
Alfredo Lim
sponsored Senate Bill 2224 and Representative Eduardo Gullas sponsored House Bill 5460, seeking to make ROTC again mandatory.
[20]
In June 2013,
Department of National Defense
Secretary
Voltaire Gazmin
aired a proposal to make ROTC once again mandatory for college students, a move ardently being protested by progressive youth groups such as
Anakbayan
.
[21]
There have also been reports of schools offering
merchant marine
courses that want to retain the ROTC program as mandatory, arguing that maritime companies prefer mariners with ROTC training.
[22]
Members of the
House of Representatives
of the
16th Congress of the Philippines
have filed at least six house bills related to the ROTC program. Congressmen Francis Abaya,
[23]
Rodolfo Biazon
,
[24]
Erico Aumentado,
[25]
Sherwin Gatchalian
[26]
and
Manny Pacquiao
[27]
have proposed reinstating the mandatory nature of ROTC training, while Kabataan Party-list representative Terry Ridon
[28]
has proposed the outright abolishment of the program.
In February 2017, President
Rodrigo Duterte
approved the proposal to revive the mandatory nature of ROTC training for senior high school students in both public and private schools. Duterte certified the proposal as urgent and forwarded it to the Congress of the Philippines - House of Representatives (Lower House) and Senate (Upper House).
[29]
On May 21, 2019, the Lower House passed their version of the proposed law.
[30]
Some camps have criticized Duterte's inclination on this issue for admitting in a speech in 2016 that he himself did not finish his supposed ROTC service during his university days,
[31]
and two years later, expounded that he even falsified medical documents to be able to do so.
[32]
[33]
[34]
After the 2022 presidential elections, Vice President-elect
Sara Duterte
stated that she wants mandatory ROTC training under priority legislation.
[35]
In July,
Senators
Francis Tolentino
and
Robin Padilla
announced support for a bill by Senator
Ronald Dela Rosa
that would introduce mandatory ROTC for students in grades 11 and 12, with a voluntary advanced ROTC program available for the first two years of higher education.
[36]
President
Bongbong Marcos
stated in his first State of the Nation address, also in July, that reinstituting the ROTC as a mandatory component of senior high school programs in all public and private tertiary-level educational institutions is one of his priority bills.
Groups such as the
Student Christian Movement of the Philippines
denounced Marcos, Jr. for prioritizing the reinstitution of mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps as was said in his
2022 State of the Nation Address
, saying that it will teach students blind obedience and make them vulnerable to abuses.
[37]
Notable Philippine ROTC units
[
edit
]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
12th Congress of the Republic of the Philippines.
"RA 9163"
. Retrieved
June 28,
2013
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Labuguen, Florida C.; et al. (2012).
Understanding the National Service Training Program
. Mutya Publishing House. p. 11.
ISBN
978-971-821-289-9
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Farolan, Ramon J.
"Men of the ROTC"
. Archived from
the original
on July 1, 2013
. Retrieved
July 1,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
National Assembly of the Philippines.
"CA No. 1"
. Retrieved
June 28,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
8th Congress of the Republic to the Philippines.
"RA 7077"
. Retrieved
June 28,
2013
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
Syjuco, Jose G. (1977).
Military Education in the Philippines
. New Day Publishers.
- ^
Morton, Louis.
"The Fall of the Philippines"
. Retrieved
June 29,
2013
.
- ^
"P.D. No.1706"
.
lawphil.net
. Retrieved
July 12,
2021
.
- ^
"CHED, partners to launch PH ROTC Games in 2023"
.
Manila Bulletin
. December 31, 2022
. Retrieved
October 23,
2023
.
- ^
"About 8,000 cadets participate in first ROTC Games"
.
CNN Philippines
. October 22, 2023
. Retrieved
October 23,
2023
.
[
dead link
]
- ^
"ROTC Games nationals kick off in metro"
.
BusinessMirror
. October 22, 2023
. Retrieved
October 23,
2023
.
- ^
Cadayona, Russell (October 22, 2023).
"Galvez panauhin sa ROTC Games Finals opening"
.
The Philippine Star
. Retrieved
October 23,
2023
.
- ^
"The ROTC Crisis of 2001"
. Retrieved
June 28,
2013
.
- ^
Pangalangan, Raul.
"Mandatory ROTC? Remember Mark Chua"
. Archived from
the original
on July 31, 2013
. Retrieved
June 29,
2013
.
- ^
Aravilla, Jose.
"4 more suspects tagged in Mark Chua slay case"
.
The Philippine STAR
. Retrieved
June 26,
2013
.
- ^
Requinta, Elka Krystle R.
"Mark Chua's killer gets death"
. Retrieved
June 29,
2013
.
- ^
Philippine Army.
"History of ROTC"
. Retrieved
June 29,
2013
.
- ^
President Benigno Aquino III.
"Speech of President Aquino at the 17th national convention of the National ROTC Alumni Association, May 25, 2012"
. Retrieved
June 28,
2013
.
- ^
Liveta, Ronaldo A. (April 28, 2015). "NSTP-NSRC Updates and Challenges".
13th National Congress of NSTP Educators and Implementors
. Philippine Society of NSTP Educators and Implementors.
- ^
Zofia Leal.
"Patriotism is Dead? Senator blames it on lack of ROTC reservists"
. Retrieved
July 1,
2013
.
- ^
Manalo, Charlie V. (June 18, 2013).
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. The Daily Tribune
. Retrieved
July 1,
2013
.
- ^
de la Torre, AJ (June 23, 2013).
"Naval officer says ROTC should still be offered in schools"
. The Philippine Star
. Retrieved
July 1,
2013
.
- ^
Abaya, Francis Gerald Aguinaldo.
"
"An Act Reinstating the Mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) for Students in All Public and Private Universities, Colleges and Similar Learning Institutions"
"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 5, 2016
. Retrieved
May 1,
2015
.
- ^
Biazon, Rodolfo G.
"
"An Act Amending Republic Act Numbered 9163, Otherwise Known as the 'National Service Training Program Act of 2001', and for Other Purposes"
"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on February 13, 2014
. Retrieved
May 1,
2015
.
- ^
Aumentado, Erico Aristotle C.
"
"An Act Reinstating the Mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) for Students in All Public and Private Universities, Colleges and Similar Learning Institutions"
"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 4, 2016
. Retrieved
May 1,
2015
.
- ^
Gatchalian, Sherwin T.
"
"An Act to Re-institutionalize the Mandatory Military and Civic Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) for Students in All Colleges, Universities and Technical or Vocational Schools"
"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on March 4, 2016
. Retrieved
May 1,
2015
.
- ^
Pacquiao, Emmanuel D.
"
"An Act Providing for the Restoration of Mandatory Military Training for Students in All Colleges and Universities by Reinstating Sections 38 and 39 of Republic Act No. 7077, Otherwise Known as the 'Citizen Armed Force or Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act'""
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on July 2, 2014
. Retrieved
May 1,
2015
.
- ^
Ridon, Terry L.
"
"An Act Abolishing the Reserve Officers Training Corps and Strengthening the Social and Civic Service Components of the National Service Training Program Through the Establishment of Additional Social and Civic Service Programs Available to Students by Amending and Expanding the Scope of Republic Act 9163 or the National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001"
"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on February 13, 2014
. Retrieved
May 1,
2015
.
- ^
Corrales, Nestor (February 7, 2017).
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.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
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.
CNN Philippines
. Archived from
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. Retrieved
May 21,
2019
.
- ^
The Philippine Star (August 4, 2016).
"Duterte admits not finishing ROTC course"
.
The Philippine Star
. Retrieved
May 21,
2019
.
- ^
Ranada, Pia (July 15, 2017).
"Duterte shares the trick that got him out of ROTC"
.
Rappler
. Retrieved
May 21,
2019
.
- ^
"Revive ROTC? Netizens remind Duterte: You faked your way through training"
.
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. November 24, 2018
. Retrieved
May 21,
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.
- ^
Malasig, Jeline (November 23, 2018).
"Why Duterte's desire to make ROTC mandatory for 'patriotism' contradicts his actions"
.
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. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Mercado, Neil Arwin (June 20, 2022).
"VP-elect Sara Duterte hopes mandatory ROTC training will be in priority legislative agenda"
.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
. Retrieved
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2022
.
- ^
Bacelonia, Wilnard (July 7, 2022).
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.
Philippine News Agency
. Retrieved
July 25,
2022
.
- ^
News, HANA BORDEY, GMA.
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CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)