The acting battalion commander of the Negros Oriental Ready Reserve Battalion of the 190 1st Ready Reserve Infantry Brigade is in favor of the return of the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Course even just for male cadets, just like in Korea, Singapore, Israel and other European countries.
Col. Rafael Crescencio Tan Jr., OIC commander of the 5th Technical & Administrative Service Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Reserve Command and also presiding judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 30, said ROTC instills discipline, patriotism, and nationalism.
He said that in ROTC, cadets and cadettes are taught the rudiments of not only in military warfare but also of citizenship, values formation, among others. He further said in ROTC, they do civic action activities, disaster relief and rehabilitation, first aid, not much on marching.
With the abolition of the ROTC a few years back, the country is already losing the number of reservists while many have grown old.
In case of any eventuality, such as if China invades the Philippines, there will be no more reservists to call to duty.
Col. Tan disclosed that when World War II broke out, the country’s reservists were fighting side by side with the US Army against the Japanese when they were incorporated in the United States Army Forces in the Far East (USAFFE).
As acting commander of the reserve battalion, Tan has even had a hard time in locating his men.
He had been to Cebu, Tacloban, Bohol, Iloilo and other parts of the Visayas to consolidate the reserve officers under the unit, only to find a few of them.
While the proposal is still in Congress, the reserve battalion commander is already apprehensive on who will handle the CAT Grade 11 and ROTC in Grade 12 due to the scarcity of reserve officers.
It is for this reason that the reserve battalion is presently recruiting reserve officers to be commissioned in Negros Oriental.
So far, the reserve battalion has recruited 20 of them to be commissioned in the reserve force, some of them are lawyers and doctors, Col. Tan disclosed.
In fact, his wife had recently been commissioned as lieutenant colonel in the reserve force. (JFP/Juancho Gallarde)
