Another pitch for the return of the ROTC!

As if the BRP Rajah Humabon now (literally?) steaming in the Spratlys would scare the Chinese Navy, suddenly we get those cowards from Malacañang Palace to talk tough. Yep, suddenly Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office Secretary Ricky Carandang is talking saying “We may be a small country, but we will do whatever we can to defend our sovereignty... whatever capabilities we have.” Sounds nice?

Perhaps Mr. Carandang doesn’t know that Taiwan, China’s renegade Province is actually smaller than us and even nearer to China than the Philippines and with less than 20 million people, but they have held on to that territory for many decades since the Communists took over in China. But because Taiwan is militarily strong, China never invaded Formosa.

While I do not disagree with Mr. Carandang that we should defend our sovereignty, but how can we do this without warm bodies? Our Armed Forces is only 300,000 strong, while China has more than two million men and women in the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). This is why if Mr. Carandang wants to put some teeth into his words, he should start working to re-introduce the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) in next year’s curriculum. Sure, ROTC wasn’t perfect and there were a lot of anomalies or corruption, but those problems should have been addressed rather than throw the entire program out of the window!

I have said this before and I will say it again that the only subject in College that teaches us discipline and above all, to die for one’s country is the ROTC. With the global warming hitting us with typhoons and record breaking rains, our ROTC cadets can also be taught how to conduct search and rescue operations... all at a very little cost to the Philippine government. Just in case you didn’t know, all nations have a military program for their youth. Close to us is South Korea and Taiwan where those ROTC type of military programs are compulsory.

It’s been almost a year now since the Aquino Administration has been in office and to prove to the nation that they have indeed moved forward, I hope that President Aquino would announce the return of the ROTC program in our colleges and universities. Of course this also means that hazing would return, but if our lawmakers enacted a law that penalizes hazing, then this would totally disappear.

* * *

It’s the 5th run for the Triennial Awards of the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. (RAFI) to search for the Eduardo Aboitiz Awards for Outstanding Institution and the Ramon Aboitiz Award for Exemplary Individual. The five finalists for the Individual Awards are Claretian priest Fr. Dennis Tamayo, Prof. Estrella “Boots” Cantallopez, Fr. Angel Buenavides, a radio commentator in Cotabato City. Rene “Tatay Ete” Vendiola, a tree farmer from Negros Oriental and Apolinario “Pol” Leyson, a Scoutmaster from Sacred Heart School who has already retired from active service. 

The Eduardo Aboitiz Outstanding Institutions are: the Great Physician Rehabilitation Center represented by Annalou Suan from Negros Oriental; the Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI) represented by Auke Idzenga. The Agri-Aqua Development Coalition, which is a conglomeration of People’s Organizations, represented by Agnes Bolanos. The Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation (NWTF) represented by Manny Margate and the SOS Philippines, represented by Bembem Rivero who runs the SOS Village in Davao who himself is an SOS child and married to one. He truly represents SOS.

The Triennial Awards comes only once in three years, so it is the most prestigious award outside the nation’s capital that is given to nameless heroes who never get their names in our local or national headlines. But their work is without question something that our nation needs because they fulfill the gaps where our government has totally failed to address. Without these NGOs or individuals, the Philippines would be worse off! This prestigious Triennial awards are given only for the heroes in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Five finalists for the Individual and another five finalists for Institution that were taken from a huge list of 268 nominees were given to the Triennial Award search committee. Last Thursday RAFI introduced these finalists to the public so they could hear their wonderful stories. But RAFI will only chose one from the five individuals to be awarded the exemplary individual and also only one will be awarded as exemplary institution this coming March 2012. I have met all of these finalists and will feature them in our column before the Triennial Awards would be given next year.  

* * *

For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.