[OPINION] Volunteerism, not coercion

The possibility of Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) being implemented in senior high school and college has drawn mixed reactions from the public. Most people cite the instilling of nationalism and discipline as a reason to bring back mandatory ROTC. Those against it note the history of abuses and scandals inside the system. So, should it be mandatory? I believe not, especially in its current state.

According to Rear Admiral Ramil Enriquez, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Reservist and Retiree Affairs of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Reserve Forces composes most of the AFP’s manpower which will be mobilized during war or large insurrections. Hence, the ROTC is important in maintaining a strong military force.

“If some other nations invade us or a very large insurrection/rebellion imperils the security and stability of the nation, the AFP will be bolstered (in numbers) by the Citizen Armed Force. This Force will be coming from the Reserves. An approximation of the force mix will be 20% Regular soldiers and 80% Reserve Forces,” Enriquez said.

While we must acknowledge the importance of the ROTC, making it mandatory is problematic as first it removes the citizens’ freedom to choose how they will serve the country, and second the system has a history of abuse and corruption that cannot be overlooked.

“Historically, Mandatory ROTC was implemented in the 90s up until the death of Mark Welson Chua when he exposed the system's corruption. Afterwards, ROTC became an option under the NSTP program,” Louise Montenegro Spokesperson, National Union of Students of the Philippines Cordillera, said in an interview.

Montenegro further explained, “In the long run, Mandatory ROTC aims to produce reserve soldiers and poses this reason as pointing toward nationalism. But is military service the only way to express nationalism?”

While serving through the military puts one’s life on the line, it would be false to argue that it is the only way to become nationalistic or serve the country. There are other ways to serve the country as shown in the other two National Service Training Program (NSTP) options in college: The Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS), and Literacy Training Service (LTS).

According to Article II, section 4 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, “The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in the fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal, military or civil service.”

The constitution clearly states that citizens can render service to the state through personal, military or civil service. Mandatory ROTC removes the citizens’ choice and forces them into military service.

The current ROTC system needs to be reassessed, and rules and regulations must be reformed and well implemented in order to improve the program. Punishments should be severe and the implementation should be strict. The officials involved in the proposed mandatory ROTC must understand that there is a stigma attached to the program due to its bad history, and making it mandatory will not change and perhaps worsen it.

I believe that those who join the ROTC do so out of volunteerism. They choose to serve the country by entering the profession of arms; something that not everyone is able and willing to do.

by Jose Immanuel Rivera