"Navigating Controversy: Understanding Filipino Parents' Sentiments on Mandatory ROTC in Senior High

School"

The mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in senior high school has been questioned
recently. The Armed Forces of the Philippines claim that compulsory military service will help the country
build a foundation for strong armed forces, ultimately making it a powerful nation (Nepomuceno, 2022).
However, making it mandatory is met with strong opposition. According to Atienza (2022), as cited in
Mercado (2022), it burdens the youth and leads in the wrong direction. Additionally, mandatory ROTC
violates students' constitutional rights and burdens parents with additional costs (Chua & Gato, 2022).
There are also other issues surrounding the mandatory military service in other countries. In South
Korea, this service is engulfed with controversies, such as corruption, bullying, and more lenient service
requirements for famous people. National security is also considered outdated and inefficient
(Robertson, 2018). Meanwhile, a study in Israel reveals that the cost of compulsory military duty is
higher, and a value-focused analysis shows that volunteer army service offers better value (Elran &
Sheffer, 2017). The Department of the National Defense supported the ROTC implementation in the
Philippines because it instilled patriotism in Filipinos. Still, they also noted its numerous challenges,
including the lack of funding and resources and the anticipated opposition from those who do not wish
to serve in the military (Manahan, 2022). The program also places students at the whim of the program's
ruthless, corrupt, and incompetent AFP officials (Recedes, 2018, as cited in Cabico, 2018).The proposal
imposing the ROTC program loomed with issues as mentioned in several articles and studies both in
international and national contexts. Although the proposal aims to develop patriotism and improve the
country’s military system, many still believe in its disadvantages. Based on the issues that impact not
only the students but also the parents, this topic needs to be urgently investigated. There may be
literature stating the supporting and opposing views of the lawmakers and military institutions and
surveys determining Filipinos’ perceptions of mandatory ROTC. However, studies investigating the
sentiments of Filipino parents whose children would be subjected to compulsory ROTC are limited and
not widely available. Therefore, this study explores parents' sentiments on the mandatory ROTC in senior
high school. The results of this study can aid lawmakers in devising a proposal relating to the compulsory
ROTC catering to the parents' sentiments. The parents can also benefit from this study as they
contemplate other parents' supporting and opposing views as manifested in the various sentiments.
They may fortify or change their opinions on the matter. With the result of this study as a basis,
researchers can also explore the feelings of other entities, such as educators and students, whom the
mandatory ROTC can directly impact.

"ROTC in Senior High: Fostering Values and Leadership, Perspectives from Filipino Parents"

ROTC. Since the issue is about the mandatory ROTC in senior high school, it is highly expected that the
most frequently used word is “ROTC.” Analyzing the sentiments of parents where the word “ROTC”
appears, it is revealed that parents believe that ROTC inculcates values among students and that a highly
qualified official should handle ROTC.

ROTC inculcates values among students. 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).

"Ensuring Integrity: Safeguarding ROTC Implementation Through Qualified Oversight"

Parents acknowledged the presence of abuse and corruption in the previous ROTC program. They added
that this time, a good ROTC officer should carry out ROTC’s vision and mission, be assisted by younger
and qualified retirees, and be supervised by honest-to-goodness and updated military officers. There
have been hazing incidents among students in the past, and some school administrators have used ROTC
as a corrupting opportunity for individuals who wish to take the course quickly (Reyes, 2019,as cited in
De Asis, 2019). Given that prior instances of hazing, abuse, exploitation, discrimination, bribery, and
corruption have plagued the program, Senator Gatchalian submitted a measure to address this issue.
The proposed bill mandates that the ROTC program be administered in tandem with legal safeguards
against these issues (Legaspi, 2019). Additionally, AFP Assistant Deputy Chief Orquia highlighted that the
present administration's activities include training ROTC commandants and professionalizing ROTC
commandants in preparation for the potential adoption of the proposed mandatory military training for
children (Gita-Carlos, 2019).

"Preparedness for Security: Examining the Role of ROTC Training in Response to Perceived Threats"

The word “train” appears as the second most frequently used word across the parents’ sentiments on
the mandatory ROTC in senior high school, as reflected in their Facebook comments. Since ROTC involves
military training, the parents commented that they see this kind of training as a preparation in case of
war. ROTC trains students to prepare for war. 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.