Readjustment of our reserve officers

Media

Part of Philippine Armed Forces Journal

Title: Readjustment of our reserve officers
Language: English
Source: Philippine Armed Forces Journal Volume IX (No. 3) January 1956
Year: 1956
Rights
Fulltext: : t Readiustment of our Reserve Officers by Major Patemo Santos Ffom Military to Civilian Life is, to a Reserve OHicer, a Change Fraught with Problems Which He Can Readily Solve with the Attendance of a Helping Hand of the Government. the School fo1· Reserve Commission, they meet the same problem of adjustment when called to active duty and when separated from the service after t heir tour of duty. When a reser ve officer is called to active duty he is guided by his superiors and friends and the regulations before him, to ad just from civilian life to the "life in uni form." But when he is separated f rom the service, his wits are matched with the problems of the civilian world, with no one to help, but with plenty of competigained while in the active service. One of the greatest problems a reserve officer faces when he is separated from the service is to readjust to civilian life. Several laws have been enacted to provide for the security of reserve officers who were called to active duty, especially those who had stayed a considerable length of time in the active service, yet many reserve officers do not find it easy to attain normalcy in civilian life after having stayed long and adopted their lives and those of their f amtions to face and multifarious ob- ily with the "officers world." stacles to overcome, if he has to Section 49, Commonwealth Act "PHILIPPINES ARME!D FORCES JOURNAL Activoled,orelerve olfi<erlooJ monr "uid.,in mililoryllfe. Deocti..,oled, loe lind• il dillicu/1 lo reodju11 himself lo <i..,i/ion lift. Tloe comptlillons ond obsloc/., "• foce1 ort numerou1 No. 1, otherwise known as "The good for those who hold position National Defense Act", as amen- in the government. How about ded by CA No. 659, dated 7 June those officers who were not gov1940 states that "any employee ernment employees? Those reserve of the Government called for officers who were engaged in pritraining instruction, or for regul- vo.te business? In the case of ar annual active duty training, or those who run their own private for extended tour of active duty, business, they often times lose shall not los<' his position or suf- contact with their business and fer a loss of pay due to his ab- business associates, especiafiy when sence in the fulfillment of his lllili- assigned away from their sphere tary obligations. A reserve of- of business. This is more appar- , ficer on extended tour of active ent when they are kept in the serduty, regardless of the amount of vice for more than six montha, so his compensation in the civil posi- much so, that when they get out of tion shall be entitled to quarters active duty, they find that they · or rental allowance as may be practically have to start all ouer prescribed for his grade by Anny again in their civilian OCC\'pation regulations" This provision is and sour.!e of livelihood. It is not unusual that when a reserve officer goes back to business, he finds the field he had left overcrowded or taken over by other businessmen, usually aliens or foreigners, or groups of individuals who offer keen competition. It is even worse for those who find out that they cannot even have a business or job when reverted to inactive 1tatus. Then we have cases of the lowsalaried employees. Take the case of an emergency employee who had been earning regularly his four (!"4.00) pesos daily wage. He seeks to be called to active duty even for· a six months period thinking that it will be of great help to him and his family, if he is called. When called to active duty, he adjusts himself to his new surrounding and companions, only to find that when he begins to like his new army liCe, his tour of active duty is_. finished and he and his family are sent back home at army expense. He also discovers that his family's source of support on his army pay envelope, to which they have also adjusted themselves had been cut off. What does he do now? Perhaps, go back to his old job if he still has one. But will he be willing to go back as a laborer after wearing the officer's uniform and after building up a prestige and a name, that of "an officer a.nd a gentleman?" The problem is not for those who have ready jobs waiting for them to go back to or those who have wealth or their own to II ir b11ined ti>PI rulr>'l pfllc.r~ re>"lrted to inoctiu •totur are willing lo t(Jh up lor ... ing ond otl>1r YOCOI>'on. il •ulficienl help con be edended them br tl>t Tl>1 help will tnobl• tl>1m to "':!: 0 promioin9 slort '\; '\ f'IIIUPPINES ARMED FORCES JOURNAL I! is doubtful wlo.,lter 0 reserve ollrcer wrll, unleu fo~eed by circumsfonces, go bod to Jon old 10b ol o loborer ,;,,. , weoring the ollicefs uniform ond •nior· ing the pte<lrge of 00\ oflr<er ond o gen!lemon:· maintain the dignity they have ae· quired while in active duty in the Armed Forces. While this group of reserve officers may constitute a minority, yet the good name of an organization, which is built up by all the members comprising the group, can be destroyed by only a few of its unfortunate members, either through their own choice or throu~h no fault of their own. What then is our problem1 The entire officers corps would like to ktep the good name of the officers' corps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines that they had built. It is therefore, those less fortunate few whom we seck to help in order to enable them to continue setting good examples fo1· the members of our citizen army and for our people. The problem, then, is not only the individual's but also that of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and of the government. The greater bulk of our n~-:;erve officers comes from that group of college-educated young men who fir.d glamour in the uniform as Re serve Officer Training Corps cad("tS, and who upon finishing the Advance Course find themselves qualified to be commissioned Into the reserve force of the Anne!l. Forces of the Philippines. Another group of enterJirising men 'I A commnsoon•d oflteer. wl>trl'ter on odive duly or not, l>os to mointoOn the dignity of o feoder Motnl~nonce of r~n dognoty 11 hord for o reverted o/fi(er wl'to f~nds reod1..,srmenr to civilion /oleos doi/Ocuh comes from the ranks and files, those who possessed enough educational qualification and experience and through perserverance and hard work complete the course in the School for Reserve Commission of the Philippine Army Training Command, Armed Forces of the Philippines or other military schools. When an individual seeks a commission in the reserve force, our laws and regulations require of him certain qualifications before he is commissioned. The Chief of ~taff, Armed Forces of the Philippines, through the Reser·ve Affairs Division and all the author·itics concerned, determines if the applicant is fit to join that group of individuals who rightfully call themselves "Officers and Gentlemen." The applicant once granted a commission is appointed by the President of the Philippines as an acknowledged leader. He is a l~ader to lead his men "through thick and thin" and to pursue a course in the improvement of his profession and the protection and advancement of t he well-being of his people. Because of this responsibility vested in a commissioned officer, it is but fitting that he be given assistance to enable him to accomplish the mission of leadership, whether he be in the active duty or in civilian life. Once com missioned, the officer must at all times be among the leaders in his field so as to r\:tain the dignity and respect expected of an officer. Whether in the active duty or not, he must be looked upon as a leader in his community and of his people, otherwise, if he ean not gain the respect and eonfidence of those about him, then he is not fit to become an officer. As we say, the problem of maintaining the good name of our officers group is not mostly for those who can take care of themselves once out of the service, but rather those who will find themselves without work occasioned by their call to active duty training. What then has our government done and what else ean be done to help this group of deserving, yet less fortunate individuals? Take a look at a few of our laws which seek to extend help to our serviceman. The most recent is Republic Act No. 1363 "An Act to give Preference to Veterans in Appointments in the government, government-controlled or semi-government co1·poration and for other purposes other considerations being approximately equal." But hew many positions with officer category will be available for our separated reserve officers under this JH"ovision of RA No. 1363? Most govemment positions are non -productive in terms of economic goods except positions in some Government corporations which may be productive economically. One may ask, how many government corporations do we have? It is believed that the problem of ameliorating our separated officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines can be solved by applying some existing laws passed by our Congress and approved by the President. The implementation of RA No. 1J82, ·which provides "That ResNve Officers with at least ten year~o active accumulated commissioned solrvice who are still on active duty at the time of the approval of this Act shall not be reverted into inactive status except for cause after proper court martial proceedings or upon their request x x x." This, in effect, is not different from an automatic integration of those reserve officers who are in some ways even in more advantageous position than regular officers, in that, while regular officers can be separated from the service for ineffic:iency, after a verdict of an efficiency board alone, the reserve officer can only be separated through court martial. Under this provision, a reserve officer with 10 years of service or more ,who no longer finds the service· to his advantage, o1· who finds it inconvenient fo1· him and his family can quit the service "through his own 1·equest" and still retain his commission in the reserve force. There is also Section IX-II of the Special Provision, for Armed • Forces of the Philippines, of RA No. 1350 which was approved I y1 .JANUARY ltst I~ A.fler hovi11ljl dor•d lo119 ;,. th• mililorr world 011d odopti119 ,lh•m••lv•• ond lh•i• lomili•• to ir, ••urve of/ic•,., to otloin normolcr ;,. dvilio11 Iii•, •hould ••c•i,.. ouistonc• f,om th• gov••nmenl in l•rms of b•11•fidol low• June 18, 1955. It provides "that any such reserve officer reverted to in-active status who has at least five years of active commissioned service shall be entitled to a gratuity equivalent to one month's authorized base and longevity pay in the rank held at the time of such reversion for every year of active commissioned ser• vice; PROVIDED FURTHER, That any reserve officer who receives a gratuity under the provision of this Act, shall not, except during a National emergency or~obiliution, be called to a tour of active duty within five years from the date of reversion; PROVIDED FURTHER, That the Secretary of National Defense is authorized to extend the tour of active duty of reserve officers who are qualified Military Pilots and doctors." Here it is apparent that the intention of the law is to provide protection to those rese1·ve officers who had rendered and spent the better part of their useful years in the service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and their country. The above provisions of law however, may not be considered as of permanent duration, as the Appropriations Act normally covers a period of one year, and unless the above proviI'Hil.I I'I'I NI>S AR~tED FORCES JOURNAL. hsatllemenl ond induolrio/ octiviliu be o ng undertaken by the government con bo up/ooted to give re•er•• oll•cerJ o place in t~ • m upon reveroion to inocto .. Jtotuo sions are carried over in succeeding Appropriation Acts or are finally enacted into a separate law by the Congress of the Philippines, it may not only mislead those affected by it, but may cause further confusion and discontent. For this reason alone, while we seek to award and provide a bettel' security for our Reserve Officer contingents of sufficiently long period M service in the Arm ed Forces of the Philippines, the effort must be geared to a more permanent solution to their plight. This may mean the extension of the benefits of certain provisions of some existing laws other than those. mentioned above, which for all intent and purposes, were enacted with the end in view of helping former members of our Armed Forces. It is believed that Reserve Officers reverted to inactive status are willing to take to farming and other vocational professions if sufficient help can be extended by the government to make a fresh start in life on a more permanent basis. •· An officer, because of the position which he maintains whether regular or reserve, spends practically all his earnings to maintain his social position and that of his family while in the service. It is, therefore, hardly expected of an officer to be able to accumulate savings fl·om his month to month, t~ y~ar to year earnings to take care riod when they are still looking for of himself and his family upon jobs or adjusting themselves to ciseparation from the service. When vilian life. Of the hundred of offi.he becomes a pensioner under the cers who may be 1 reverted, how army retirement system, he is as- many can find suitable jobs until sured of a regular income, other- they exhaust their finances? With wise, he has to work hard even in the hundred of thousands of unem4-- his old age to earn a living. Ex- ployed, and considel'ing that these cept for a few reserve officers who reserve officers are not as young as already had established sources of they used to be, they can not just livelihood when they entered the fit into any kind of civilian job. service, the majority of them now Considering also that these officers in the active service, when rever· had been used to working regularly ted, have to start anew on various in the military profession, the need civilian jobs if they can find one. for an immediate job is now more The inte~tion of giving gratui· apparent as the craving for work ties upon separation of the of· had almost become second nature to ficers who had at least five years them. It is, therefore, well that a ~ or more of active service is to be solution be found to help them on a able to help them during that pc- more permanent basis or in reset· Industries ond ••11/emenro designed robe '"''"ble for rtJer•e offiur< will nor only toh core of rl>ooe who ote reverted bvr ol•o give rmpetus to economic deve/op,.,enl "'"''" " o mo1or unde.ro~ong of the government. PHILIPPINES ARMED FORCES JOURNAl. - .It•••••• olficerr ,..;1/, 10 reorJ ol ••r•ice colt be teYetled lo i~toctou •IOIItJ only lor cou1e ond ollet due coutt morlio/, o• pro•ided by llepublic Acl No. 1382. Tlti1 /o,.. protecto litem. More <uclt lo"'' ore needed. tlement and industrial develop- pany (NDC) was created by the ment. Resettlement is suggested, govemment with the aim of estab· because it will afford security, in- lishing new industries and as soon dustry and production to the indi- as the industry is established it is vidual and to the country. Estab- t<.t be turned over to a private enlishment of industries, settlement Wrprise willing to underta'ke the projects and corporations will not job. It might be well for the Naonly take care of our reserve of- tiona! Development Company to ficers reverted into inactive sta- start a project which can be turnIus on a more permanent and pro- cd over to stockholders composed ductive basis, but will furt her en- of reserve officers and other decourage 1·esettlement and economic S('rving veterans using their backdevelopment for our more deserv- pay certificates as payment for ing citizens. their share of stocks. To encourThe National Development Com- age further those who may be interested, the corporation can be wholly manned by these reserve officers, guided initially by civilians who have better training and experience, considering that most of the reserve officers are professionals, engineers, agriculturists, chemists, lawyers and businessmen. Servicemen separated from the service will continue to be of service to themselves and to the country economically and industrially if they are encouraged to invest their money in the form of Back Pay to help in the country's economic development program. The hundreds of unemployed veterans will j~st be willing to work and the project they will run being capitalized with their own mo. t1ey (Back Pay) will encourage them to attain a successful business undertaking. The government can further help them by giving ample protection to their business in form of laws and other facilities within the capacity of our people. Still othe1· p~uctive enterpdses in commerce and industry can be encouraged if only the initial capital is given to our veterans, a capital not given free but payable out of their earnings or what are due them. We have the Agricultural, Cooperative, Credit and Financing Administration (ACCFA). The ACCFA can help very much by putting up the initial cash capital in exchange of benefits provided for under RA No, '804 and 897 otherwise known as the "Back Pay Laws:• There are many veterans now out of the service and still unemployed who are willing to start some sort of cooperative projects if only they can have some capital. Qualified vetel'ans who are rna~ stockholders using their Back Pay certificates of cooperatives started by the government agencies will welcome the opportunity to work and earn a decent living. This will be more permanent than giving them their yearly Back Pay dividends, which amount to a few pesos, and which the individual spends as soon as he receives his dividends cheek to keep him going for another few days while waiting and hoping to find some kind of work which oftentimes can not be had for a long long time. Lt. Col. E. Duque in his article "A Need for an Arsenal", pointed out that a project of an arsenal can be self-supporting. Our basic laws provide for a citizen army. Reserve officers, who are our key personnel in the building of our citizen army, deserve the laws benefiting them and our government can do more to encourage and help them in their chosen field of Jeaderships. Moior ~olerno Sonlo<