“Examining Mandatory ROTC: Assessing Exemptions, International Perspectives, and Proposed

Legislation in the Philippines.”

According to the study of Baradillo, 2023. He stated on page 8 of his results and conclusion that ROTC
should be mandatory for all, except for physically incapable. Parents commented that if ROTC becomes
compulsory, it should be implemented for everybody, including the wealthy. Regardless of status,
participating in such a program makes it fair and indicates democracy. However, there must be an
exemption to the rule. It should not be mandatory for those students who are physically weak or
disabled. The exemptions to military duty have become a contentious topic in South Korea. High-
achieving athletes, painters, classical musicians, and dancers in South Korea are granted exemptions, but
controversially, high-achieving pop culture personalities, actors, and filmmakers are not
(Robertson,2022). Additionally, several countries mandate a set amount of military service for all
citizens, except for unique circumstances like physical or mental impairments or religious convictions.
Few countries with conscription systems also draft women; most conscript only men (Tiwari, 2021). To
avoid issues on exemptions in the Philippine ROTC program, House Bill 8961 mandates that only students
who are determined to be physically or psychologically unfit for the ROTC program by the Armed Forces
of the Philippines surgeon general or their medical officer will be exempt from the advice of the
educational institutions where the concerned student is enrolled (Cepeda, 2019). Additionally, Vice
President Duterte-Carpio stated that regardless of gender, she plans to make military duty mandatory for
all Filipinos over 18 (Marcelo, 2022).

"Assessing Moral Development in ROTC and Traditional College Students: A Critical Examination of the
Wattendorf (1981) Study and the Need for Longitudinal Analysis."

While the previously mentioned studies are valid from the standpoint of evaluating undergraduate
students in general, participants in a study by Wattendorf (1981) are more closely aligned to the groups
of interest in this study. The Wattendorf (1981) study used the DIT and compared Naval ROTC
undergraduate student scores at various years of study to the scores oftheir traditional college
counterparts. The results indicate that Freshmen NROTC students had higher levels of conventional (i.e.,
Kohlberg stages 3 and 4) and principled (i.e., Kohlberg states 5 and 6) reasoning than their traditional
counterparts, but that NROTC upperclassmen (juniors and seniors in this study) were not statistically
different in terms of principled reasoning from their traditional counterparts. Additionally,
upperclassmen scored higher than freshmen in principled reasoning. According to Lawrence Kohlberg’s
theory of moral development(discussed later), principled reasoning indicates a higher stage of moral
development, so the results seem to indicate that both traditional and ROTC students showed moral
development while at college, with both groups showing effectively the same level of moral
development by the time they were upperclassmen (Wattendorf, 1981). This would seem to indicate that
“ROTC training appears to have no discernible effect on principled level of moral reasoning beyond that
of a normal college education” (p.1). This conclusion, however, may be premature, because the
Wattendorf (1981) study was not longitudinal. The only real conclusion that can be drawn is the
relationship of conventional and principled scores of one group to another. It could well be that the
ROTC freshmen measured in this study became more principled than their traditional counterparts by
the time they were upperclassmen. Conversely, they may have showed some form of moral regression
and become less principled. A better approach to determining the accuracy of the conclusion above
should therefore involve measuring a group of students (or several groups) over a period of time during
which they are receiving moral instruction. This 8would allow the actual moral development of the
students to be determined, which could then be used to determine the quality of the instruction being
received.

"Enhancing Battlefield Leadership: A Study on the Impact of ROTC Training on Personality, Esprit de
Corps, Professionalism, and Leadership Effectiveness in the Korean Military."

Weapon, command, and communication system have been continually developed in the Korean military
since last several decades. However, it is always asked to make a more effort on improving the ability of
combat capability through people in order to achieve and maximize military power. In terms of
improving the battlefield leadership, this research focused on ROTC(Reserve Officers`Training Corps),
because the training junior officers lays a great foundation on basic strength of the military. This study
theoretically and empirically examined the ROTC`s quality and effectiveness of leadership. The proposed
research model and hypotheses are mainly composed of four factors: personality, esprit de corps, and
professionalism as independent variables; leadership effectiveness as a dependent variable. The
empirical result revealed that esprit de corps, professionalism, and personality have a meaningful
influence on leadership effectiveness. It is suggested that an ongoing training and education program of
leadership for ROTC should be applied for achieving a better leadership effectiveness on the battlefield.

"Balancing Perspectives: Assessing the Positive and Negative Impacts of ROTC Programs on Physical
Fitness, Leadership Development, and Societal Dynamics."

The positive impacts of ROTC include increased physical fitness, leadership development, and
opportunities for scholarships and career advancement. ROTC programs provide students with valuable
skills and experiences that can benefit them in their future careers. Additionally, ROTC can foster a sense
of discipline, teamwork, and patriotism among participants. However, there are also negative impacts
associated with ROTC. Some critics argue that ROTC promotes militarism and can perpetuate a culture of
violence. Others raise concerns about the potential for hazing and the psychological toll that military
training can have on participants. It is important to consider both the positive and negative aspects of
ROTC when evaluating its overall impact.

"Examining the Benefits of Mandatory ROTC in Senior High School: Fostering Commitment, Personal
Development, and Career Opportunities."

Mandatory ROTC in senior high school has several benefits, including fostering commitment to a military
career [1]. It provides students with opportunities to develop self-discovery and independence, as well
as engage in innovative extracurricular activities and mini-courses [2]. Additionally, mandatory ROTC
programs can expand recruiting pools by being represented at all ROTC detachments, allowing for a joint
team of ROTC instructors from different services [3]. In terms of career guidance, the evidence base
suggests that effective delivery of career guidance can support the effective functioning of the labor
market, education system, and social equity [4]. However, the impact of mandatory ROTC on career
guidance specifically is not directly addressed in the abstracts provided.
"Parental Perspectives and Advocacy: Unveiling the Character Development and Societal Contributions
of Mandatory ROTC in Youth Education."

Parents commented that ROTC can train students to be disciplined, respectful, responsible, loyal, and
have self-control and wisdom. It can also make them upright and patriotic. Moreover, aside from making
them disciplined and accountable, parents mentioned that ROTC can develop the student’s confidence,
hard work, leadership, and community service skills. According to Salanga (2019), the ROTC program will
inculcate patriotism, nationalism, and discipline among the youth. Through military training, it is also
possible for individuals to improve their morale, intellect, social skills, and involvement in public and civic
activities. Senator Gatchalian also supported the revival of mandatory ROTC as it will strengthen
leadership principles, camaraderie, and sacrifice for shared goals. Moreover, it will highlight respect for
human rights and bolster ethical and spiritual values (Lopez, 2019).

"National Security and Preparedness: Evaluating the Controversy Surrounding Mandatory ROTC in the
Philippines."

Parents commented that ROTC involves military discipline and self-defense training. Parents believed
that if there was war in the Pacific or a foreign invasion, the students, as a reserved force, were already
prepared to defend themselves and the nation through such training in ROTC. According to Senator de la
Rosa, the Philippines faces an imminent threat from its neighbors, particularly China. Therefore, the
nation must be ready to protect itself from aggression (Bordey, 2022). DepEd Secretary Briones added
that we cannot trust other nations to defend us but must rely solely on ourselves (Parrocha, 2019).
Through active participation in ROTC, young individuals cultivate a sense of discipline, patriotism, and
readiness to execute their paramount duty of safeguarding the Philippines from external aggression, as
everyone is responsible for defending the motherland (Lina, 2017). It is also essential to have an army of
reserved officers available to be called upon and mobilized to help with external and territorial defense
(Gordon, 2019). However, Former Commissioner Cendaña expressed his opposition to the mandatory
ROTC when he stated that while it is acknowledged that every citizen has the right to enlist in the
military, this should be kept voluntary since there are so many other ways to protect our territory and
sovereignty, such as modernizing the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to create credible deterrents
(Manahan, 2022).