CONCEPT PAPER

Student’s Perception of the Reinstitution of Reserve Officers’ Training Corps

1. The research problem dwells

This research problem dwells on the perceptions of Senior High School students on the
reinstitution of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) as a mandatory component for
Senior High School programs in all educational institutions.

2. The conditions which gave rise to my research question are (2 to 3 conditions)

a. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is a timely topic since it was recently called on
Congress to be passed as a law last July 26, 2022. It was said by the current president
Ferdinand “Bong Bong” Marcos, Jr., that the reinstitution of this program aims to
“motivate, train, organize students and mobilize students for national defense
preparedness, including disaster preparedness and capacity building for risk-related
situations.” In addition, it can be recalled that former president Rodrigo Duterte called on
Congress to revive ROTC in 2018 (Pineda-Alvarez, 2022).
b. According to the history of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in the nation,
the program was developed to improve students' civic engagement and enhance their
capacity for protection, with its objectives being entirely patriotic in nature (Panuelos B.,
et. al, 2019). However, up to this day, there are still a lot of students who are not yet
knowledgeable about the program, its importance, and the toll it takes on Senior High
School students. ROTC could potentially be an effective precautionary measure as
threats to national peace and order continue to come from a wide range of sources and
effective implementation of the program could be a key factor in eliminating any
opposition to the reintroduction of the program (Tolentino, 2017).

3. The ideal situation would have been that

To gather and examine the perception of the Senior High School students who may be
targeted to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), in a way that helps to compare and
contrast their insights on whether or not the government shall reinstitutionalize the mandating of
the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in the Senior High School program.

4. The possible reasons for the discrepancy between items 2 and 3 can be attributed to

This research aims to know senior high school students' perception of the reinstitution of
ROTC. However, the program may have a bad reputation due to its history, as people today call
it corrupt, violent, and abusive. From another perspective, the objectives of ROTC, according to
Panuelos, are entirely patriotic. Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) promotes the level of
leadership and discipline, as well as the patriotic character of every Filipino. Due to conflicting
sides, there is a discrepancy between what the senior high school students take on the
reinstitution of ROTC.

5. The following interventions that have been done to solve the problem are
 During a Senate Committee on Basic Education’s public hearing on the proposed
mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in Senior High School, Senator Pia
Cayetano pushed for a more “comprehensive and holistic” alternative to the program. The
senator pushed for Senate Bill No. 925, or the ‘Youth Patriotism and Bayanihan Act,’ which is a
program that also seeks to strengthen the values of discipline, patriotism, and nationalism of
students from Grades 1 to 12. Cayetano noted that the bill promotes the importance of “soft
security” while still highlighting “hard security”. The Youth Patriotism and Bayanihan Act also
includes more components rather than just military-based training since the senator said “I’d like
to think that there is not just one track… We want to be sure that the programs (we will
establish) would be suited to the skills that we want our youth to develop,” (Cervantes, 2019).

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is under the National Service Training
Program (NSTP) of the Philippines. NSTP, also known as the Republic Act No. 9163, was
signed as law on January 23, 2002, and since then has been implemented. A study has been
conducted in a university in the Philippines to assess the effectiveness of the program, and
according to the study, the program is defined as an education in the form of service to enhance
the sense of responsibility of students. It was also determined that the implementation of NSTP
is effective in terms of the development of the students’ performance, sense of being part of the
community, and various skills (Balmeo, M., Falinchao, J., et al. 2015 ). Another study was
conducted to assess the status and challenges found in the implementation of NSTP, wherein
the ratings of the students towards the implementation of the program were collected through a
survey (Magbanua, J. 2017).

6. The following facts/findings have been reported in related studies about this problem
are

The majority of the respondents in a research study conducted at San Vicente San
Francisco High School see that the reinstatement of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
(ROTC) is highly positive and beneficial (Agustin, 2018).

A research study about Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Program from Makati
High School observed the behavior of the Senior High School students towards the
implementation of Mandatory ROTC. It was observed that based on the results, the students are
indicating that they demand to have the right to make choices (Panuelos, 2019).

Findings from a research study in Philippine Pasay Chung Hua Academy state that all
the respondents agreed to the implementation of the mandatory ROTC. The students said that it
can enhance their abilities in both their physical and social skills (Mostajo, 2019).

In a study conducted in Talospatang National High School, the researchers found out
that some of the Senior High School students in the institution were not aware about Reserve
Officer Training Corps (ROTC). The students also pointed out the positive effects of ROTC as a
form of self-discipline and self defense while trauma and overfatigue were identified as the
negative effects of the said program (Barboza et al., 2019).

7. The following questions about the problem, however still unanswered

In order to find answers to this study, the researchers aim to directly determine the
perception of the Senior High School students in this day and age in a known institution in
Davao City, and whether they are in favor of the reinstitution of the Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps (ROTC) to be a part of the Senior High School program or not. Thus, it analyzes and
explains the sample of Senior High School students who agree and do not agree, to serve as a
basis for the reinstitution of the program in all educational institutions.

References

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