De la Cruz, John Anzlei D.

BSEE-1A

MANDATORY ROTC: “YAY? OR NAY?”

So what is ROTC? What are its purpose and objectives? Is it important to make ROTC
mandatory? What can students expect to learn by taking ROTC?
The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is one of the three elements of the National
Service Training Program (NSTP), the civic education and defense preparedness program
for Filipino college students, in every college curriculum. ROTC is an elective curriculum you take
along with your required college classes. 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.
It gives you the tools, training and experiences that will help you succeed in any competitive
environment. It aims to provide military training to tertiary level students in order to motivate, train
organize and mobilize them for national defense preparedness. It is a potent tool in instilling
discipline, moral values, virtues, and respect for rights of the civilian, adherence to the constitution,
patriotism and nationalism among young Filipinos.
The program provides the students with the opportunity to become career officers, or to
return to civilian pursuits after acquiring useful skills and knowledge from active-duty experience. It
is also one way to develop technical and leadership skills. This experience also makes them more
informed citizens, with intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the military.
Now we focus on this 21st century, Filipinos are known for being an obedient person before.
But today's youth are becoming truant. They have forgotten to be responsible for their duties.
Through ROTC, we can make changes not just for students but also for our country. The knowledge
that they acquired during their training can be useful in or outside the campus in case of emergency.

ROTC required you to have discipline. It might be difficult because you will be exposed under
the sun, undergo punishments, stand all day, heat exhaustion, but in this way you will learn what
you need to learn.