ROTC reports

Media

Part of The Carolinian

Title: ROTC reports
Creator: Fernandez, Filemon L.
Language: English
Year: 1959
Rights
Fulltext: COT LT COL ANGELITO BROAOLA CDT LT COL GUIDO ESCOBER Once again, we find ourselves immersed neck-deep in the tasks of piecing together little hits of information we squeezed out of the DMST to present a more or less recognizable picture of the actual military aspect of student life. We find the task not too gratifying, what with all the red tape — censorship, approvals, military secrets and all that — we have to go through. We have the presentiment that if this set-up is to continue, this page will inevitably metamorphose into a personality column. CHANGES: The school year opens with at least two notable changes in the ROTC set-up. The first is the cessation of the practice of hazing incoming officers of the Corps. Time was when the USC quadrangle was an arena wherein monkeys were made out of applicants for officership by avenging senior officers every first week of classes and the lobby always jampacked with eager spectators especially members of our skirted populace who consider themselves available any time for sponsorship. The second is the holding of drills on Saturday afternoons instead of on Sunday mornings. This was obviously the outcome of Council President Osmena's efforts to limit the drills to the rock-bottom minimum of three hours and give Sundays to the cadets free. REORGANIZATION Strength: The USC ROTC Corps for the school year 1959-60 took its shape formally last June 13th, Saturday, with a record strength of one thousand and one hundred and fifteen men, forming three batallions of three companies each. There was a marked increase of over three hundred over last year's Corps strength. Office Personnel: The DMST boosted its own strength too, with the addition of four tactical officers to the original Aquino-Modequillo-Papellero combine, namely, Lt. Ramon Bataclan, Regimental TO, Lt. Louie Batongmalaque, 1st batallion TO, Lt. Pa g e 30 R O T C Rodolfo Gustilo, 2nd battalion TO, and Lt. Geronimo Creer, 3rd batallion TO. These tactical officers are in charge of the instruction and discipline of cadets. Corps Officers: The selection of the major officers of the Corps followed closely the time-honored principle of lhe survival of the fittest The designation for instance, of Cdt. Col. Eulalio Bendanillo as Corps Commander was premised mainly on his having topped the theoretical examination for advanced cadets in the whole third military area comprising twelve provinces. Cdt. Lt. Col. Angelito Bronola enthroned himself at the top of the 1st batallion by placing second to Bendanillo in the same examination with Cdt. Maj. Agustin Escano who got for himself the Commandership of F Infantry. Cdt. Lt. Col. Cesar Salera's designation to 2nd Batallion commandership was a recognition of his love for and devotion to duty. For a splendid showing in company drill during the last tactical inspection, Cdt. Lt. Col. Guido Escober was awarded the Commandership of the 3rd batallion. On the same basis, the following were commissioned adjutants and S3 of their respective staffs: Cdt. Maj. Edilberto Ludovica, Corps; Cdt. Maj. Jesus Mercado, Jr., 1st batallion; Cdt. Maj. Rolando Eborlas, 2nd batallion; and Cdt. Maj. Carlos Tonelete, 3rd batallion. "All other members of the different staffs are second year basic officers", says Sgt. Papellero. "This is in consonance with the pentomic concept of organization." It would seem therefore, that this pentomic set-up is nothing but a mixing of good and rotten eggs in one basket. Sometimes the set-up comes out good, sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on the proportion of the mixture. Incidentally, the USC ROTC Corps, (already "pentomicked") through the last tactical inspection, took a THE CAROLINIAN TNSTDE - DH1ST "big jump" from its star-studded sky to the purgatory of thirteenth. PEOPLE OF THE PHIUPPINES VS. ANDRES ORAIS. An incident which took place last June 20th, injected a little sensation into the drudgery of drilling under the heat of the sun. An officer and a cadet tried to convert the drill grounds at the BHSD at Mango Avenue into a boxing arena. This incident would have been passed as ordinary and trivial had not one of the adversaries brought his case to the attention of no less than the people of the Philippines. A Case of Insubordination: Cdt. Capt. Andres Orais, platoon leader of the first platoon of Hotel Co., calls it a clear case of insubordination. He was drilling his platoon when he noticed that Cdt. Palana was out of step. Desiring to imprint into the minds of his men the idea of uniformity and precision in every phase of military life, he called the attention of Palana. It so happened that at that particular moment, Palana was in no mood for appreciating corrections. (His appendicitis was giving him trouble, if he is to be believed.) He hurled epithets at Orais, who of course, resented the action. But his patience and leadership took the better part of him and the episode ended with a friendly handshake with Palana after a more or less spirited verbal tussle. But Palana, according to Orais, probably misunderstood his gesture of friendship as a m.ark of cowardice. And lost no time in telling the other cadets about it. One Cdt. Rosaroso reported to Orais, and together, they confronted Palana, who, according to Orais, exhibited overt acts of fighting. His patience, already on edge, altogether evaporated. He forgot himself and the next thing he knew, he was raining blows on Palana, who ultimately landed at the Southern Islands hospital with several injuries despite the intervention of cooler heads. While there, he filled out a complaint for physical injuries. Victim oi Malicious Fabrication: Palana vehemently denied having told anybody anything to the effect that Orais was a coward. That was a purely malicious fabrication, he said. Neither did he display overt acts of fighting when confronted by Orais and Rosaroso. On the contrary, he was completely amazed at the charge Rosaroso made. But before he could make any explanation to Orais, the latter rained blows on him. After effects: The controversy, therefore, hinges on two important questions of fact, namely, whether or not Palana did actually say what Rosaroso claimed he said, and whether or not Palana did what Orais claimed he did when confronted by him and Rosaroso. When this matter was brought to the attention of the DMST, Capt. Jose M. Aquino immediately ordered Lt. Gustilo and later, Lt. Creer, to conduct a full-dress investigation of the case and submit their findings to him. But before the investigators could act, the parties to the controversy were summoned by the police for preliminary investigation. At the time of this writing, Orais and Palana were already on friendly terms. Palana withdrew his complaint, and the controversy, having been settled amicably between them, was relegated to oblivion before anybody could render a decision on the merits. July 4th: With peace restored, the Corps was in high spirits when came the time for the celebration of the glorious fourth. The ever-ready third batallion of Cdt. Lt. Col. Guido Escober, with the band and the Corps staff, represented San Carlos in the grand military parade at two o'clock in the afternoon of Saturday. The USC guns too, manned by our artillery boys with Capt. Aquino acting as Convoy Commander, added glamour to the unit. The parade started from the Fuente Osmena-Capitol road and ended up at Ploza Independencia, where a literary-musical program with intermissions of political speeches, culminated the day's affair. # Commandant Jose M. Aquino has shown greater initiative this year in trying to turn out better trained ROTC cadets by implementing, through his cadet officers, a new set of rules designed to revolutionize military training in San Carlos. Hitherto, ROTC cadets knew only gunnery and the nomenclature of weapons upon graduation. Through field lectures given under the commandant’s directive, San Carlos hopes to turn out more intelligent and well-rounded army officers. It is not uncommon to find, even among officers, physicallypresent-but-mentally-absent elements during briefings. The idea of checking on how much an individual officer has absorbed from the lecture after every session, will undoubtedly separate the dreamers and glamour boys from the earnest ones. The appointment of Lt. Ramon Bataclan as Regimental Tactical Officer will immensely benefit the Corps. Lt. Bataclan was, prior to his attachment to San Carlos, instructor of the 4.2 mortar section of the Heavy Artillery Unit of the Philippine Army for six months. Capt. Aquino, recognizing the fact that his men are responsible enough to know their obligations and human enough to feel the sense of shame and humiliation that goes with every offense committed against the military rules, has done away with the practice of punishing erring cadets in front of their units, and instead has made full use of the demerit system under which any cadet who has reached his full quota of 50 demerits or 3 absences is automatically dropped from the roster and has relied mainly on the honor system for the maintenance of discipline. # JULY-AUGUST, 1959 Pa g e 31