The ROTC: Another Pinoy tragedy!

Two weeks ago, we wrote about the war being waged by the New People's Army (NPA) against the cellsites of Globe Telecom... well, yesterday, the Philippine Star's Nation page came up with another story that did not even make the headlines of another Globe Telecom cellsite being attacked by the NPA in Puerto Galera, Mindoro. Again we ask this very poignant question... why is it that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the NPAs, have declared this war against Globe Telecom's cellsite, which to date, more than 30 Globe Telecom cellsites have already been attacked? So far, no one dared to answer this question.

Let's make no bones about it... that the NPA are the true enemies of the Filipino people who even attack innocent, immobile cellsites for obvious reasons... because Globe Telecom's executives have been ordered not to pay "revolutionary taxes" to the NPAs... because the executives of the Ayala Corporation, Globe's parent company believe that paying revolutionary taxes to the NPA's would only strengthen their cause. This is why I staunchly believe that those who succumb to the terrorism of the NPA by paying their revolutionary taxes are doing more wrong for this country because it prolongs the existence of the NPA. Again, we appeal to the military establishment to concentrate on their work, rather than help those who destabilize our government. As the late Pres. Ramon Magsaysay, Sr. used to say about the Communists dubbed the Four "F's"...Find them, Fool them, Fight them and Finish them, then offer them the hand of peace!" If you want to know why the NPAs are still around, it is because we've only fought them, even if we already found them, we've not fooled them, rather they've fooled us with their NDF's and accepted those peace talks which lead to nothing and more importantly... we never finished them! I dare say to the military... to finish their work!

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Talking about the military... yesterday, I found myself in Camp Lapu-Lapu at the headquarters of the Army Reserve Command for a presscon called by Col. Guillermo Luyao (GSC) PA, Col. Angel Ocubillo (Res), Col. Celeferino Layao (Res), Lt. Cresencio Rocamora (Res), Maj. Richard Sison (Res), Maj. Soliver Peras (Res) and Maj. Samson Deles who heads the ROTC program in Cebu about the 1st National Army ROTC Corps Commanders Convention which kicks off today.

I was handed a document entitled, "Clear and Present Danger of the ROTC Program" which elucidates the dangers that Republic Act no. 9163 known as the National Service Training Program (NSTP) has done to the country, which virtually removed the compulsory ROTC as a subject in our educational system. Let me point out once more that I was always against this law and I have vehemently insisted that the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is the only subject that teaches our school kids patriotism. Instead, this was removed and in its place... a community service program, which in other countries is a punishment for first-time criminal offenders!

If there is no discipline being taught in the schools today, it is due to the absence of a subject that deals with discipline. Gads, even the Scout Masters of the Boy Scouts today are restrained from barking out their orders to the troops... they almost replaced it with pleeezz! Let me point out that the ROTC was removed because of unabated corruption in its system... however like what Maj. Dick Sison said, "you don't cut off your head because you have a headache!" and I fully agree with his observation. Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) should have addressed the problem of corruption in the ROTC instead of making it voluntary. In other countries, military service is even compulsory and military training in schools is part and parcel of the growth of their youth. We lost this already, just like our ability to speak good English! I support the call to restore the ROTC for as long as they fix what was wrong with it... including training our youths using wooden rifles. The ROTC here is another Pinoy Tragedy!

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That the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) found no sufficient evidence to pin down Bogo Town Mayor Celestino "Tining" Martinez III for any involvement in the daring P9.4 million Land Bank robbery in Bogo last Aug.2, 2005 is great to hear... after all, we've always believed that the young Martinez was brought up properly by his parents and I never believed that he'd do anything criminal in his life. So the lessons we ought to learn from all this is, be very careful with the people whom you hire... even as your bodyguards... they just might end up ruining your life.

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