I like the Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) now but I believe it should stay optional.
I witnessed how the ROTC evolved from its rather notorious rep until it was made optional starting 2002 and what it is today because I am a product of that college military training where most of the time we were either marching or made to stand under the heat of the sun.
What used to be the domineering and demanding ROTC is now a minority in almost all college and university campuses because military training has been made an option under the National Service Training Program (NSTP) and in order to get students, ROTC cadets will have to campaign during enrollment period.
The implementation of NSTP is embodied in Republic Act 9163 that refers to the program aimed at enhancing civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth by developing their ethics of service and patriotism while undergoing training in the following: Civic Welfare Training (CWTS), Literacy Training Service (LTS) and thirdly the ROTC.
The ROTC then was also marred by allegations of hazing, corruption, abuse by trainers and tactical officers and students not learning anything except marching and standing the entire day under the heat of the sun.
During my time, if there is a lecture it is about military science and topics like basic life support as well as life saving skills in time of disaster and security functions that would allow students to respond to wherever civil disturbances arise were not part of our lectures.
If you are not shouted at by the officers, you were threatened with demerits or worse being punched in any part of the body for the main reason that it is part of the discipline that they are trying to inculcate on you.
I can still enumerate the names of my abusive ROTC officers who were products of the Martial Law era where the military rule supreme over the civilian authority.
From what I observed at present from my students enrolled in ROTC, they are the more “naning” type or the academically industrious students who want to maximize learning while in school.
Most of my students who are taking up ROTC graduated with honors and were more involved in extracurricular activities in school.
Students taking up ROTC have confided to me more stories about what they learn outside the four walls of the classroom. I can feel that they are more patriotic judging from how they talk and carry themselves during our conversation.
Obviously, I like how ROTC is implemented nowadays, but I am not supporting the call to make the course obligatory again to all students.
When it will be made a requirement to all students, there is a big possibility that the monster in it will be reawakened and would return to what it was before 2002.
Making it optional starting in 2003 has made the movers of the program improve by all bounds and since then I have not heard of reports of abuses and unnecessary punishments imposed on cadets.
Passing a law making ROTC obligatory would not make the program enticing to those who have prejudices against military training but perhaps the stories and anecdotes of students who are satisfied on how the program is being run at the moment is the best advertisement for more students to enroll in ROTC.
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