"What you see, what you feel, what you hear; when you leave, leave it here." ----
For many people who have participated in Reserve Officer Training Corps, thisphrase is familiar, almost intimate. It is an oath to secrecy, as much as an oathcan be rendered under duress. This golden rule, as it is called, is used tojustify or at least defend abuse of power by those in power themselves. It is onething to be security-minded, to protect the interests and safety of the groupfrom those who seek to malign it. It is quite another to set aside their livedexperiences and senses of morality, only to replace them with memories that areleft behind in the designated office of the corps, or in the minds of those whohave to deal with the consequences for time to come.One can find the lingering contradiction between this golden rule and youthempowerment: how can you empower the youth to be "better" people if you choose totake away the power to decide for themselves? How can you claim to uplift thewell-being of those you claim to educate if your notion of education has anin-built non-disclosure agreement to protect perpetrators from the consequencesof harassment and torture, among other forms of abuse. Some organizations even doso to the point of death. The insinuation that this would lead to discipline andself-regulation is sickening, because those who spout such nonsense are eitherlying to themselves or lying to everybody else about dangers we have alreadyacknowledged to be unacceptable.That is why the calls to return any form of Mandatory Reserve Officers TrainingCorps in the Philippines, especially under the steamrolled National CitizensService Training Program, is ridiculous not just from a political and curricularstandpoint, but also from a moral position as well.Much has already been said about the cost of its implementation, the impact itwould have on the pressures placed on young adults in college, and the threat itposes to academic freedom and civil rights. It will be expensive andtime-consuming for students who have carried the burden of unsafe, unhealthy, andtime-consuming curricula and educational environments. It will militarizeschools, turning it into training and propaganda arms for terrorist state forceswho have committed impunity and injustices since its very foundation. We canexpect greater corruption of actions and values, especially from those inauthority who will use the program for opportunistic gain. We can expect moreactivists and organizers to be red-tagged and harassed within the safe spacesthat should be school campuses when mandatory military training will come tofruition. We should expect a repeat of what happened to Mark Welson Chua, and theother victims of hazing and torture, as more students will be abused or killed.But the greatest danger to come out of the militarization of schools is thereinforcement from youth of the idea that chains of command should beunquestioningly obeyed, even against the better judgment of anybody below them.This kind of mentality signifies the willingness of the institutions in oursociety to ignore the autonomy of every person within it. All the material needs,all the moral sentiments, and rational decisions are futile when you have beendisillusioned and forced by your commanding officer, or your boss, or whateverimmediate superior to follow their orders and their orders alone. Society as itexists has been limited by the prevalence of this domination; this hierarchy. Itwastes the conscious ability of human beings away from the imagination of aninclusive, affirming, and integral world, in favor of profit, power, and harm.The proponents of this militarization cannot even explain how the system they arejustifying can defend against the exploitative attitudes within society -harassment, abuse, and violence, bred by machismo, sexism, and bigotry. Theyremain unaware, perhaps intentionally, that the presence of state forces inschools will not only limit academic freedom, but also threaten the rights ofevery student, teacher, and stakeholder within the community. It is pitiable howthey themselves have turned themselves into lackeys, pushed by their politicalambition to gain favor by toeing the party line of Malacañang.There is no nation to be built by packing campuses with murderers and fascists.There is no youth to be developed by "citizen training" that hasn't already beeninnovated by grassroots movements and organizations that have rejectedmilitarization. The archipelago will not progress under the agenda of connivingelites hellbent on taking the reins of all aspects of society: from economics, totelecommunication, and education. As we have always known, the future lies in thewill and power of the people at the base, unhindered by authority.The golden rule; this rule by ROTC, by Maharlika, by Marcos-Duterte, by theelite, by the structure that shackles our society; takes our time, our choice,our power away.My call, our call, is clear:Reject mandatory military service!Reject the militarization of all education spaces!Down with the trapos! Down with the fascists!All power to all people!https://bandilangitim.xyz/library/isko-margal-atin-ang-kampus-atin-ang-oras-militar-layas-en_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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