The U.P. Corps of Cadets

The U.P. Corps of Cadets

University of the Philippines Reserve Officers' Training Corps

DUTY well-performed. HONOR untarnished. COUNTRY above self.

Founded as early as 1912, the UP ROTC Corps of Cadets is the pioneer of the nationwide ROTC program. Based on the need to develop a citizen army that can be rapidly mobilized in case of national emergency, the Department of Military Science and Tactics (DMST) was established on July 3, 1922.

Cadets are trained in military subjects and drills. Among the many subjects taught are military leadership, disaster response, map reading, land navigation, jungle survival skills, infantry weapons, rappelling, small unit tactics, signal communications, and first aid.

The training in the Corps of Cadets has the following objectives: first, to develop patriotic, physically sound, upright, disciplined citizens; second, to develop a corps of trained officers; and third, to take the lead in fostering University and national spirit.

Discipline is maintained and basic instruction imparted by a select body of cadet officers under the supervision of the training officers. The tactical officers are commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the Philippine Army, and constitute the training group of the Department of Military Science and Tactics.

Cadet officers are appointed from the graduates of the Cadet Officer Candidate Course which is undertaken during the one-year ROTC Basic Course. Upon completion of the Basic Course, they will undergo further training in between academic years while completing the two-year ROTC Advanced Course where the cadet officers will be graded in their ability to lead the cadets through different echelons of command such as platoon, company, or battalion.

Cadets of the Basic Course train for 15 Saturdays per semester. Cadets of UP ROTC are taught the five basic skills of LEAD, MOVE, SHOOT, COMMUNICATE, and NAVIGATE. The cadets are trained in military leadership, disaster response, map reading, rope course and jungle survival skills, infantry weapons, rappelling, small unit tactics, communications, field artillery training, self-defense, and first aid. Training is done academically inside classrooms and physically on open ground. Training that requires special facilities such as an obstacle course, a rope course, and a live-ammo firing range are conducted in military camps outside the University. The Corps of Cadets holds a parade and review to honor distinguished personages, visitors, or guests. Aside from holding military training, the Corps of Cadets also participates in socio-civic activities through various civil-military operations, such as tree-planting, blood donation drives, relief drives, medical missions and the like, which are usually spearheaded by the Corps of Sponsors.

Today, it continues to uphold its long-standing legacy through its undying loyalty to its shibboleths of DUTY well-performed, HONOR untarnished, and COUNTRY above self.


References

  1. UP Diliman ROTC Unit (2020). RAATI 2020: Battalion Ceremonial Parade & Inspection in Ranks Master Script.
  2. ADROTH Project (2009). Modern ROTC Begins. Retrieved from http://adroth.ph/
  3. Raposas, A. (2017, February 20). Reserving the nation: ROTC in the Philippines. Retrieved from https://history-ph.blogspot.com/2017/02/rotc.html