Reflection on the Life on Mark Welson Chua

Reflection on the Life on Mark Nelson Chua

Submitted by:

Dhonvoy G. De Mesa BSBA II FM

Submitted to:

Mr. Ricky T. Pasupil Instructor

Chua’s murder became a catalyst for a broad movement to abolish the ROTC program in schools. The clamor to remove the ROTC program in tertiary schools resulted in the creation of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) by virtue of Republic Act 9163 promulgated on January 23, 2002.

Chua‘s death also was linked to his expose’ of the corruption within the UST Corps. The suspects are four ROTC officers. This is what Kabataan Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago said in reaction to President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program for all college students next school year. On Aug. 3, Elago filed House Bill 2399 or the “ROTC Abolition Act of 2016,” as a counter-measure to Malacañang’s plan, and instead proposes an expanded community service program for students. Let us not forget the memory of UST student Mark Wilson Chua who was brutally murdered because of his brave exposition of corruption in the UST Corps. His death became the spark that led to massive street protests for the stopping of mandatory ROTC.

 The ROTC program has long been criticized for being an avenue for continuing abuse and  violence against student cadets. In our education system, in fact, no other education program holds the most violent record. t should be remembered that RA 9163 or the NSTP Law was passed precisely due to the strong backlash against the murder of University of Santo Tomas student Mark  Welson Chua, who was killed in January 2001 following his exposition of the corruption in the UST ROTC program. Since the passage of the NSTP Law in 2002, the violence surrounding the ROTC has not dissipated.

 The ROTC program was given all time in the world to reform and make itself more relevant to the aspirations of the students but all in vain. Simple reforms and dole-out concessions will not preserve the whole integrity of the institution. The abolition of the ROTC program is a steppingstone in ending the vicious cycle of irrelevance in our education. It is a necessary and urgent democratic reform that must be implemented to make our education more susceptible to the needs of the students. There is a negative impact for the senior cadet officers who overuse their powers to make the lower years suffer from their hand. The ROTC program has its foundation rooted in severe corruption.

 The program is nothing but a huge money-making industry thriving at the expense of the students. It is a major source of corruption and malpractice done by unscrupulous groups and protectors of this venal program. I can’t really imagine how Chua suffered until  his last breath. I

 wonder how the senior cadet officers sleep in the night thinking that they commit a non-bailable case. We must think the actions that we are going to do. The suspects didn’t think of they have done. They destroyed someone’s life who is full of dreams. I salute Chua’s confidence in revealing the corruption happening inside the ROTC. Other students do not have this kind of personality because they are afraid that the incident will happen again.

 As an Isabelan student, I would like to recommend the NSTP –  CWTS for all the students. Nowadays, some universities continue to experience this kind of military action. ROTC is a bastion of human rights violation. The students are being tormented ranging from direct physical mistreatment to psychological abuses. This incident clearly illustrates the violent, fascist tradition that the ROTC brings to other universities. In the next years, I hope that ROTC should immediately suspend that will lead to its total abolition. The ROTC program has failed in promoting patriotism and nationalist consciousness among the youth but rather instilled the sub-culture of fear, violence and hatred among the broad ranks of the students. It promotes a distorted sense of leadership. Students are molded in becoming more active stakeholders of our country but on the contrary we are being exposed to bankrupt politics of status and privilege.

 What we need is a better path for the socio-civic involvement of the youth, a path that is congruent to the challenges of the changing times. We do not need to change in a brutal way that  will lead our ways to violence. We must promote the wellbeing of students and develop their skills and competencies. There are many ways on how to make our life meaningful and easier.