Regular Class No.

: 37
Class Year : 2002
Code No. : 1408
Author : MANALIGOD, MANUEL W
Title : The ROTC Scholarship Program: Towards an Enhanced National Security
Subjects : ROTC, Reserve Officers training course
No. of copies : 2
Place of Publication : NDCP
ABSTRACT:

The Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program remains to be the primary source of the country’s reservists by
law and is conducted in state colleges and universities and other similar institution of learning nationwide. After
college students complete the new one-year basic course, they are enlisted into the AFP Reserve Force, ready to be
called to active duty in case of national emergency and/or national mobilization. The optional two-year Advance
ROTC Course is still offered and upon completion qualifies its graduates for reserve commission in the AFP.
But the ROTC remains a misunderstood program due to the lack of information on the basic intent of the ROTC that
has led to various interpretaitons of its importance and relevance. Over the course of its implementation, the ROTC
program has been saddled with graft and corruption and incompetence, thus, gradually eroding its effectiveness and
eventually, the respect and importance it deserves. Presently, the ROTC program has been restructures as an
optional course along with Civil welfare Training Service (CWTS) and the Literacy Training Service (LTS) under the
National Service Training Program (NSTP) provided for by Republic Act 9163.
With these developments, the role of the ROTC as the main source of Citizen Armed Forces, our Country’s Reserve
Force, may have been limited. This has clear implications to our national security.
But there is certainly room for improvement. One is the ROTC scholarship program, which existed before the present
configuration of the ROTC program as the military training components of the NSTP was instituted. There are moves
to resume the scholarship program for this military training portion.

This study was conducted to determine if the proposed ROTC scholarship Military Training Service (MTS) component
will produce highly trained and motivated AFP reservists who will fill up the Reserve Force requirements, and
effectively enhancing the country’s national security. Survey and interviews and content analysis of documents
conducted resulted in the following findings:

1. The present ROTC program was made optional and reduced to a one-year course by
Republic Act 9163
2. There is a concerned that the optional effect of the ROTC program will reduced its
enrollment thus affects the reservist procurement program of the AFP

3. The AFP Modernization Program was not affected by the restructuring program of the
ROTC. A credible Citizens Armed force is still desired.
4. An average of 7,500 ROTC graduates is needed for the AFP Reserve Force build-up
5. RA 9163 provides for incentives/assistance for qualified students taking NSTP.
6. A proposed scholarship program is needed to attract college students to take up ROTC
and produced the desired quality graduates for integratoin into the AFP Ready Reserve
Force

The qualification requirements for the ROTC Scholarship Program will include oral and written examinations and the
physical, security and academic qualifications, which are similar to the requirements for entry into the military service.

The Scholarship Program will be highly selective of the grantees. Moreover, the funding requirements will necessarily
limit the number of scholars who will be accomodated into the program. This will result in the drastic reduction of
graduates of the ROTC, which averages 140,000 graduates a year. However, it will not affect the reserve force
requirement of the AFP, which averages about 7,500 ready reservists a year per Republic ACt 7898 also known as
the non-scholars from the maritime and aeronautical schools who are required to take up the ROTC rather than the
LTP and CW because of the nature of their courses.

Based on the survey conducted, the ROTC scholarship program will have a positive effect on the image of the ROTC,
and on the quantity and quality of the reservists sourced from the ROTC. The reduced number of cadets to be
accomodated in the ROTC will give the ROTC Scholarship Program will erase the negative image of the ROTC and
will be expected to produce well rained and more committed reservists, the main problem that faces the program is
the source of funds for its implementation.

Currently, the AFP has no specific funds for the implementation of the ROTC except for the support for the ROTC
summer camp training (MS 43). Possible sources of funds are the General Approproations Act; the Reserve Affairs
budget of the AFP; scholarship grants from reservist group and individual reservists; and from the schools with ROTC
programs. But an implementing mechanism and the proper policy environment must be formulated if funding is to be
institutionalized.
In return, those who have availed of the ROTC scholarship program will have to serve the AFP for three consecutive
years on active duty training (ADT) of 30 days or one (1) month subject to rules and regulations on ADT.
The study concluded on the following:

That the ROTC Program implementation needs to be revitalized, that the proposed granting of scholarships will
effectively erase the negative image of the ROTC because it creates a new set of campus leaders who are both
scholars and exposed to military discipline; that the selective and competitive nature of the program serve as a quality
control for the AFP’s recruits; sources of funds can be derived from the General Appropriation ACt, AFP budget and
grants from Colleges and Universities, Corporation and Foundations, NARAA and NGOs.

The link between the ROTC program and Philippine national security is the development of the Reserve Force. The
following are the implications of the ROTC Scholarship Program to National Security:

Politically, a developed Reserve Force firmly projects a country’s national power in a subtle but nonetheless effective
manner;

Militarily, a developed Reserve Force ensures that the AFP is backed up by a large force it could rely upon.
Furthermore, reservists who come from the ROTC program are highly educated people who are continually trained in
their peacetime civilian jobs with skills that are crucial because of the technologically advanced nature of modern daw
warfare.
Socially, a Reserve Force is the State’s real link with its people. It is one of the few ares where the government can
actively seek out the direct participation of the people. Properly managed, it could provide for the long term working
relationship between the state and its citizenry; and

Economically, while an ROTC scholarship program;s direct financial impact is quite small, there is a host ofother
subsidiary benefits accruing to the government including a stable security environment and closer relationship
between the government and the people for a more productive development-related initiatives.
This study proposed the following policy recommendations:
1. TWG Study of the Scholarship Program Implementation
2. Initial Funding request
3. Policy Promouncement from the President
4. Civic Group Support

ROTC began in the Philippines in 1912, when the Philippine Constabulary (PC) initiated
military instruction at the University of the Philippines (UP); the first official ROTC unit
was established at UP in 1922. In 1939 then President Manuel Quezon issued Executive
Order 207, which made the establishment of ROTC programs obligatory at all colleges
and universities with greater than 100 students.
n World War II, ROTC men participated heroically in regular combat and guerilla
operations, despite the fact that many of these guerilla leaders had not even completed
their military education by the time the Japanese invasion began. A majority of these
men had still been cadets when war came to our islands. Nevertheless, imbued with a
patriotic and martial spirit, these ROTC cadets (along with cadets from the PMA) formed
some of the most effective guerilla units during the occupation years. The most famous
of these groups was the Hunters ROTC unit, which was organized by two PMA cadets
that were too young to receive their commissions at the onset of war. Instead of
returning home, they rallied other PMA and ROTC cadets and continually harassed
occupying Japanese forces and supplied vital intelligence to the American military,
before eventually participating in the liberation of the Philippines from 1944-1945.
These were young men in their late teens and early twenties that volunteered to bear
arms in defense of their country.