According to Quendengan and Laquesta (2014), when someone performs an action which

benefits his or her community, it is known as community service. The idea of being involved in a
community service is indeed fulfilling. The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program
is a college-to-military program, where students will receive both academic credit as well as
training to become properly registered officers. The program aims to provide military education
and training for college students to mobilize them for national defense preparedness and it also
offers scholarships that will help the students with their financial needs for academics.

The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) was formed by the Morrill Act of 1862,
which also established higher education institutions and supported the ROTC idea, which was
first popularized by Alden Partridge in the United States. Alden Partridge created Norwich
University in the US and advocated for turning US citizens into military. Then, the "Plattsburgh
concept," a summer training program for potential officers in Plattsburg, New York, which was
founded by Leonard Wood to have or find any future officers among their population, is another
source of inspiration for present-day ROTC, appeared the following year. In event of conflict,
President Wilson and Congress had prepared to augment the military, and on June 3, signed the
National Defense Act of 1916 to give the president the authority to mobilize the national guard in
case of emergency. 

In 1912, the University of the Philippines (UP), a top educational institution in the
Philippines and a well-known university, promoted the notion of having students who are
prepared and disciplined citizens, graduates from UP who specialized in many fields
must complete a variety of programs. Among these programs is the Reserve Officers' Training
Corps (ROTC), which began in 1912 primarily as "military drill." That was claimed to encourage
civil service, order, and discipline in the community.

As Stephens (2000) opines, training with a purpose is always an instrument to achieve

some end. The Philippines’ first Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) was founded in 1922
in UP, in response to the growing demand for tough and powerful Filipino reservists at the peak
of World War I. Being prepared, the Philippines' involvement in World War I was also caused
by American involvement in the conflict. The agreement to establish the UP Department of
Military Science and Tactics was signed on March 17, 1922. Through this agreement, the
university formed the country's first legitimate ROTC unit. As a result, the basic infantry course
became compulsory and a prerequisite for graduation for all the physically-fit male students of
UP.

Moreover, the National University was the first private college school in the Philippines
to have an ROTC unit in 1921. Later that year, after quickly adopting them, Ateneo de Manila
University, Liceo de Manila, and Colegio de San Juan de Letran established their own separate
ROTC units. The National Defense Act of 1935, which was signed, also created the independent
Philippine Army, which had been created on December 2, 1935, and officially established the
ROTC program in the country. In addition, The Office of the Superintendent for ROTC Units
under the Philippine Army was formed in 1936 to manage all of the country's ROTC units. After
the World War II, Executive Order No. 207 of 1939 was revoked by former President Ferdinand
Marcos on February 8, 1967, and Executive Order No. 59 was issued as its substitute. All
schools, universities, and other institutions with an enrolment of 250 or more male students were
required by this presidential order to have an ROTC program.

Furthermore, on August 8, 1980, Former President Marcos also signed Presidential

Decree No. 1706, also known as the "National Service Law." All Filipino citizens were required
to do national service, which was divided into three categories: military duty, law enforcement
service, and civic welfare service.

A University of Santo Tomas cadet officer named Cadet Sergeant Major Mark Welson
Chua was brutally killed by other cadet officers at the same university. He was assassinated a
month after he revealed the corrupt, bribery, and extortion practices of the University of Santo
Tomas Reserve Officers' Training Corps unit. Anti-ROTC demonstrations spread around the
nation in 2001 as a result of the incident. Periodically, politicians propose bills, resolutions, or
even public releases outlining their desire to abolish ROTC.

On January 23, 2002, Republic Act 9163, or the National Service Training Program Act
of 2001, was implemented by the Congress in place of ROTC in response to public demands for
reform. Women are no longer excluded from performing national service; both sexes must now
complete the NSTP. The National Service Training Program was developed as a result of the
alternative programs' lack of a military component. The Reserve Officers' Training Corps
(ROTC), the Literacy Training Service (LTS), and the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS)
comprise the National Service Training Program (NSTP). Students must enroll in two NSTP
courses in the components of their choice.

The new government later took into consideration the former President Rodrigo Duterte's
proposal to reinstate mandatory ROTC. However, according to Vice President, Inday Sara
Duterte, it would likely to be implemented on the higher education level rather than the proposed
implementation of ROTC in the secondary level by President Ferdinand “BongBong” Marcos in
his State of the Nation Address (SONA).

The current administration's claimed motive is that they think this program would teach
young Filipinos perseverance, discipline, efficiency, leadership, and patriotism. The objective of
the ROTC is to inspire and teach students in the military skills necessary to protect and fight for
our nation at any time. In addition, it is said that the restoration of ROTC will revive in young
people a sense of pride in their nation and a respect for human rights.

It is definitely ideal in view of its objective to strengthen the Philippine national defense
and sense of nationality. However, there is cause for concern due to the previous program's past
poor management and its present proposed mandate.

The possible challenges towards the implementation of the ROTC again as an

independent program must be considered before making it as a mandatory and requirements for
each college students. Challenges such as