Military service is one of the things that some countries have as a requirement for men when they become of age. Here in the Philippines, we have the ROTC or the Reserve Officer Training Corps. The ROTC is a college program of the Philippine curriculum and is one of the three (3) components of the National Service Training Program (NSTP).
Just recently, there were news about it being part of the program of both grade 11 and grade 12 students but a lot of controversies arose. This idea was backed ideally by the Philippine government because the lower house supported the claim of reviving the mandatory ROTC for senior high school students.
Newly-elected Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa, however, made a statement about him wanting to push the 2-year mandatory military service for the Filipino youth.
Some people claim that this is far worse than the ROTC aspirations and even said that:
Mas matindi pa 'to sa ROTC"
Read: President Duterte Vetoes the Anti-Palo Bill
Filipino youth Military Service
According to Senator Bato Dela Rosa, he looks to mirror other countries who are undergoing this specific practice. As per him, this is an imperative part of a man's life especially if they reach a certain age.
UNTV had an interview with the Senator and the Senator said that he is looking to implement a better and a more challenging task to the youth of the Philippines. Instead of bringing the mandatory ROTC back in its scale, what he wants is to place Filipino youth to serve the military for a maximum of two (2) years—imitating both Israel and South Korea's practice.
Read: Four-Day Work Week For Filipinos Can Soon be an Option
According to him, this would aid the Philippines to properly boost and intensify its territorial defense strategies and strengths in the event that a foreign invasion takes place. In addition to that, preparedness will be heightened and we will be more difficult to deal with and conquer.
Gusto ko malakas ang ating territorial defense when it comes to foreign aggression, foreign invasion so kailangang i-prepare natin ang ating kabataan na mayroon tayong enough reserves, human resource reserves.”
Would there be exemptions?
I know that you're thinking a lot of things revolving around this topic. However, wealth and social status won't be enough to save a Filipino child from servicing through the mandatory military service.
Senator "Bato" said that if this will be implemented, he wants no exemptions or whatsoever despite the social status, achievement, and profession—every male Filipino youth will experience the mandatory military service.
Read: The Anti-Hospital Deposit Law to Make Hospitals Treat Emergency Services Without Down Payment
Funding the mandatory military service
Of course, this program would need appropriate and proper funding. The program could not stand on its own or through regular funding. As per the Senator, the government should back this idea up and shoulder the costs and the funding of the mandatory military service.
He put emphasis on the fact that this should be separate from the NSTP funding where parents of the college students are the ones who pay for their children to be able to undergo the program.
As you may have noticed in Senator Dela Rosa's goal, he wants a just and stable service to guard the society from external and internal threats. Based on his experience being a general, he thinks that bringing the mandatory military service training to the Filipino youth will provide better and heavier impact in terms of defense of our grounds.
Have you seen the animated movie, Mulan? That's how it will work—every Filipino male youth would have to undergo the mandatory military service training—no exemptions, no special treatment, pure defense learning and strategy.
Read: President Duterte Signs the Law of Allowing PNP Control Police Training
What do you think about this idea from the newly-elected Senator? Would having mandatory military training be an efficient way to allow people to have an idea on how they can protect the country? Will this be deemed effective than re-implementing the mandatory ROTC to be placed in the programs of grade 11 and grade 12 students?
South Korea has been one of the few countries who practice this. Even actors who go on trips for their profession will go back home to abide by their rules and regulations—to undergo the mandatory military service training for service of their country. What stops Filipinos from doing so?
yan ang malaking pagkakamali ni Grneral bato kung itutuloy nya yan! hirap na nga sa grade 11,12 dagdagan pa ng gnyan? unahin muna nila sugpuin corruption ng sa ganun maraming gamit ang ma bili ng arm forces.
Dapat magfocus muna sila sa plano na may professional sa bawat pamilya
101 % agree for 2 years military service for 18 yrs old men, removed the 4P's budget and divert to this proppsal.
Improve nyo muna Military equipments bago kayu mag-mandatory ng military services sa mga YOUTH. CURRENT GOVERNMENT MILITARY EQUIPMENT SUCKS! IT WILL CAUSE OUR CHILDREN 90% DIE IN COMBAT.
How did you know that 90% of children will die in combat with the current military equipments? Anong basis mo to come out with that figure? 168 military died out of 6,500 soldiers fsughtnin 153 days Marawi Siege.. maruning k ba ng Math? Ilang % nag military casualties dyan? 2.5% anong basis mo sa 90% mo?
Siguro iniisip nya na from different countries yung kalaban, like china. Alam naman kasi nating lahat na talo tayo sa kanila kng military equipments na ang pag uusapan.
2 years na nga sa pahirap na senior highschool tapos 2 years pa sa ganito? Tsk tsk
Lahat halos ng ASEAN member countries may ganyan, hindi yan NEW. Gusto ko para maturuan ang kabataan ng disiplina. Akala ko ba into Korean ek ek mga pinoy, hanggang sa artista ng Korea na lang ata ang alam pero kabuuan nito walang nakakaalam, nakakaloka!
That was the vision held by Marcos when he instituted the ROTC program 3 decades ago. He understood that this part of the globe will be a conflict proned area thus he anticipated it.
However, short sighted if not blind leadears repealed the ROTC law for superficial reasons. That's the priblem with disguised leaders presenting themselves as pro-people and pro-development and yet do not understand simple arithmetics of development.
Shame on them.
ROTC is a discipline which aims to instill patriorism from among our qualified men and women. It's not street protest that makes our youth disciplined or dignified.
Who then would guard or protect our country from possible aggression if any? Could the priests or bishops, Renato Reyes or Neri Colmenares as well as opposition Trillanes and Pangilinan assure this country that their rallying could dispel missiles thrown unto us.
That's absurdity at its fullness!
I for one supports the Youth Military Service being proposed by Sen. Bato, if not the ROTC. Either of the two.
FYI, ROTC was NOT INSTITUTED BY F. E, Marcos. It was FORMULATED BY GEN DOUGLAS MCARTHUR IN THE NATIONAL DEFENSE ACT OF 1935, SGNED INTO LAW, AS THE COMMONWEALTH ACT NUMBER 1MBU PRESIDENT MANUEL QUEZON. Pres Quezon also signed Executive Order No 207 series of 1939 making ROTC an OBLIGATORY TO ALL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AND FERDINAND E. MARCOS AND FABIAN VER WERE GRADUATES OF UP ROTC.
MOST ROTC GRADUATES WERE CALLED TO ACTIVE DUTIES DURING WWII AND FOUGHT IN THE DEFENSE OF BATAAN PENINSULA AGAINST THE JAPANESE INVASION. And the Fall of Bataan, the ROTC continued their fight with the Japanese in Guerrilla warfare as HUNTER-ROTC Operating in Souther Luzon and other ROTC Graduates in other provinces.
Wag ng history history ek ek... Lahat halos ng ASEAN member countries may ganyan naman, hindi yan NEW. Gusto ko para maturuan ang kabataan ng disiplina. Akala ko ba into Korean ek ek mga pinoy, hanggang sa artista ng Korea na lang ata ang alam pero kabuuan nito walang nakakaalam, nakakaloka