DMST and the Corps of Cadets

Cinnamon. She's the clerk in the Department of Military Science and Tactics who acts as if she controls the department. Good thing she doesn't, and there are cadet officers to correct her on this perception.

I got to the DMST to log in. Not knowing where the logbook for the cadet officer candidates is, I have to get inside the DMST office and ask (or that's what another cadet who's in-line told me). I got to the ritual.

I knocked the door (with the DMST seal on it) three times, opened it a bit (so that my voice could be heard inside), and shouted at the top of my lungs:

"SIR, Cadet Private Tomi dela Cruz, requesting permission to enter the room, SIR!"

The usual response of the person inside: Dead Silence.

But then, a voice responded after about ten minutes (in my perception of time, that is). It was a lame female-ish voice, "Enter."

I opened the door fully and took one step inside, then saluted to the general direction of the source of the voice. A female creature with a UP uniform sitting in her table and powdering her face greeted me. "Ano'ng kailangan mo?"

Not knowing who she is, I have to address her in the least offending manner. "Ma'am, magla-login po ako sa logbook."

"Ano'ng unit mo?"

Not knowing that I wasn't even allowed to tell her that, I answered, "COCC po."

"Ah, ganoon ba. Sige. Andoon yata ang logbook ninyo." I walked into the other room (the Corps office) and saw a line inside. It was about 1500H, so there are less cadets going to the ROTC area to log in.

There was a cadet officer inside, and I don't know his (male) rank or class (anyway, I have had no idea of the concept of the class). He dictated if a person who's next to log in could take his seat.

If he said, "Take seat," the COC has to say, "Sir, Good afternoon, Sir!" or what is appropriate.

Due to the length of the set of instructions (I learned later when I would write my logbook for my own unit that it is always this way for the first training day), each cadet took about 10 minutes reading and understanding (lest the possibility of being punished the very next moment, I understood later), and about 15 minutes to copy the things that needed to be copied. They are basically the training director's or COCC Tactical officer's message, anthologies to memorize (the basic first anthologies were Duty, Honor and Country; Don't Quit, If and Invictus); training day instructions; SOPs; and enrollment instructions for those who might not have properly completed the enlistment procedures.

There were instructions for COCs to go to the Corps office to clean the area once a week. It was suggested that the COCs go to the area in batches so that they could clean the area easier. The rationale was not given in the logbook, but for me, it was just like Karate Kid's chores; it has a reason (I learned that they had, later).

After my turn (I was the last), I decided to take my turn in cleaning the area. Not knowing what I could do (I was in a military area, I thought), I just got the broom and the dust pan from the area called the "log area," which served both as a library and as an area for the cleaning materials such as brooms, dust pans, rags, floor wax, etc. I started sweeping the floor because I do not want to mess with the cadet officers' tables (there were two, as I remember: the Corps Commander' table and the Staff table).

Cinnamon saw me sweeping the floor, so she asked me to clean her area as well. Not knowing better, I obeyed.

I was not under the proper knowledge that I was not supposed to do that. The building's utility personnel was the one supposed to clean the DMST area, and not COs nor COCs. A cadet officer saw me doing that, so he called me to stop doing it.

Cinnamon countered the call, so I was confused whom to obey. The quiet behavior of the upperclass cadet officer gave me the clue whom to obey. I walked into the room of the cadet officer.

The cadet officer explained to me that I should not obey Cinnamon. She was just a clerk. COs nor COCs do not need to obey her, because she has no command authority nor function that requires that we obey her. In my mind, I thought, Thank God! That imbecile-behaving creature is killing me! I obeyed immediately. The cadet officer also explained to me that we should obey only cadet officers.

This set the idea of who cadet officers are in the Department, and in the University.

The next time she called me, I told her that I am not supposed to obey her.

And I learned a bit more of the organization that is the Corps of Officers.

Log In: Cinnamon

The training day does not start on Sunday, but starts, for cadets, on Wednesday afternoon. By 1300H of Wednesday, the logbooks are released for the units to log in. In the logbooks, the instructions are provided for the cadets to prepare for the upcoming training day.

A typical training day instruction has the following entries:

1. Commander's or training officer's message
2. Training place and time
3. Uniform specifics or type
4. Unit-specific instructions
5. For Cadet Officer Candidates, a list of anthologies which should be memorized by Sunday's training day.

After the instructions, the cadet has to give a message that the message has been read and would be complied with.

A typical log-in entry is like this:

To: COCC Training Director
From: COC [Surname]

Sir, I have received your message and I am willing to comply, Sir.

NAME MI SURNAME

CPvt 4Cl

COCC

* * *

But before you get to the logbook, you have to go to Corps Office, because the COCC logbook is inside the Corps office. Unlike the regular units, COCC training is distinctly separated. They are not made known to other cadets so that other fraternities would not target them - for either physical harm or recruitment. For this reason, COC identity is classified.

This high privilege has its equivalent burden.

Like meeting this psycho we codenamed "Cinnamon".

Entering the Portal and the First Push-Ups

My first push-ups did not happen in the first training day. It happened during my enlistment.

* * *

The enrollment procedure in UP Manila is such that, all your academic and PE subjects would be enlisted in the Form 5, while the ROTC enlistment would be a dirty mark on your paper. As a process, this would mean that you would easily get through your academic subjects, but you have to go to the far-flung ROTC headquarters to finish your enrollment for the first semester for the freshmen.

Before I go to the Office of Student Affairs for special assessment (I was under STFAP bracket 4), I have to go to ROTC to enlist. By the word enlist, students get that wrong notion that you just go there and enlist yourself in one of the units (I did not even have such a notion... I only thought of ROTC as a subject). I was one of those with the wrong notion.

At the entrance to the Sports Science and Wellness Center (a place I would soon call my home... but that is still a long time to come), stands a board with four short coupon bonds, each with numbered instructions on what you should do, what you are required to bring, and when they should be done.

There were instructions for Military Science 11, 12, 21 and 22.

Without knowledge of what "military science" is, I read all the instructions, including those for light duty, exempted, foreigners... all of them. I could feel from the other enlistees that this is indeed the most dreaded place in UP.

Even the security guard (a close friend of the cadet officers) is helping in building up the tension and fear of the unknown.

I saw the list of papers. A couple of ROTC forms, short and long coupon bonds, folders and envelopes... that should be easy enough. But the pictures. 2X2 and 1X1.

I have to find a Rush Photo developing place. I have to finish my enrollment today (wherever I got the idea that I had to finish my enrollment then, I have no idea).

* * *

I got my pictures and stuff, and braved the unknown (if that's an acceptable expression). The board covered the hall of the ROTC area, and only one person could go through. As stated in the instructions, you "stick to the wall" and always "move on the double". You "do not eyeball the cadet officers". Make sure all your materials are present when you meet the Station 1 officer.

It was the most fearsome experience. Getting out of the safety of the known world and into the dark place called the "Laguman ng Pagsasanay ng Pinunong Panlaan," the Tagalog of Reserve Officer Training Corps.

In here, we enlistees fear, anything could happen to us, and our parents would never know what would happen. Which was true in a way.

A lot of students went there with parents and all. That's when I thought first, "Why are they here with their parents? Isn't this college? We have to be able to stand up already."

I have to ignore that observation, somehow thinking in disgust how a man could behave. I walked on.

Or run.

I saw around less than ten students before me, in the ground floor, along the corridor, sticking to the wall.

I tried to remember the things thought in CAT-I. What were they? I screamed in my mind. What a worthless subject, I can't remember anything from that subject.

I remembered, in formation, a person at the back is supposed to look at the nape of the person in front. Hmmm. That's an idea.

The two hours of sticking to the wall and not rolling your eyeballs passed. Finally, I got through Station 1. I presented my enlistment materials, the lady (a sponsor, I learned) gave me the ROTC papers I have to fill up. Those were done in less than two minutes. A record breaker (in my life in the Corps, I constantly break my records... multiple times).

It was in Station 3 when you enter the room again (after leaving the previous station in a manner rigidly ROTC) to enlist finally in a unit. I was the fifth person to enter in line. The person who tried to get in.... well, he tried to get in, but he did not get in properly, so he was given 10 push-ups.

It was supposed to be just like that... wait for my turn to get in. In a matter of two hours, something so alien to me imediately got into my second nature (saying, "Sir, Cadet Private [State your surname], requesting permission to enter the room, Sir!" to enter and saying, "Sir, Cadet Private [State your surname], requesting permission to leave the room, Sir!").

Until the person in front of the line failed, and he has to make 10 push-ups, and a female cadet officer asked all enlistees, including me, to "sympathise". Is that what I remember it was?

It is.

I learned when the female cadet officer shouting "Times TWO, Times THREE!" I was on my hands after hearing three.

It was my first experience of physical exercise for ROTC. And the semester has not even begun yet.

I hate this, I thought.

* * *

Of course, I learned the meaning of that exercise when I became, not a cadet officer, but a member of the class Vibora 2001.

Entering The University

Entering college, or more especially, the University of the Philippines was, according to my mother, an individual act... or something. It was no longer like high school, when you still had your classmates or groupmates. Your teacher would no longer give out lectures. In college, your teachers would give you a book or chapterS of a book, and then let the class discuss. Attendance is not very important - what is important is your performance in exams and papers.

That's what my mind was set on.

I do not have an exact concept or idea what UP really is. I only know that UP is THE premiere university in the country. Not just the premiere state university, but THE UNIVERSITY. All other universities or schools are simply the OTHERS.

I knew little about ROTC. I hardly learned anything from our CAT (Citizen's Army Training), how much would you expect from me?! I always tell people when asked later about me joining the Corps, the only thing I learned in CAT are tikas, pahinga and agap, ta.

These are my knowledge when I got in the University, before I enlisted for ROTC.

* * *

I enrolled alone, without my mother, unlike a lot of students my age. I learned - early on - that I was more than a year advanced for the generation of students. That is, I took my education earlier than I should. I started Grade 1 before I turned six years old. This, enrolling without any guardian, would turn my life into a whole new kind.

It started when I got to the SSWC. The Sports Science and Wellness Center.

The building of the Department of Physical Education. And the Reserve Officers' Training Corps.

The Meaning and Purpose of Being a Cadet Officer

Who are We?

We are Vanguards
Leaders and scholars combined
We belong to a tough breed of men
Rugged, responsible
Dedicated and uncompromising.
We build leaders and men.
We are men who command action,
men on the go.
We aspire to excel in all lines of human endeavour.
We believe in three hallowed words:
Duty, Honor and Country.
And above all, we are officers
and gentlemen of the finest order.

========================

The above anthology summarizes what is a cadet officer's life, and humbly states the purpose of a person entering the Cadet Officer's Corps.

This would also guide readers on what to expect in this series, and hopefully, to understand the reasons a cadet officer in UP behaves.

The story begins tomorrow.