The Rainbow Rangers are now on the ADROTH Project Website, and a dedicated site, currently under construction, will be up hopefully within the year.

ROTC, the post-war years

Thanks to all the Rainbow Ranger alumni who helped out, and are continuing to help out, with the research. (e.g., Mr. Monkey, Wilson, etc.)

Special thanks to Opus, whose original forum helped spark research on this overlooked episode in Philippine ROTC history.

is it true mr adroth that many graduates of UP ROTC became top commanders of the NPA?

yup.. yan ang sabi sa amin last 1998 ng irevive ng UP ROTC sa Diliman ang UP Rangers Coy... and sad to say dalawa sa batchmate ko ang naging NPA regular... ang isa nahuli sa encounter..

di lang naman UP, pati ibang school RO units infiltrated din...

yan ang isa sa paraaan ng NPA para magtrain ng regular.. based on my sources sa provincial university saka state colleges pinapakuha nila ng advance ROTC ang mga student member nila because every member of the CPP or the NDF must serve first in the NPA as a regular member to reach the top level of their hierarchy.. it's part of their training..

is there no way for goverment intel to ID these rebel sleepers in the ROTC so they can be neutralized before they can do damage?

I've heard those stories as well. One of the Rainbow Ranger alumni I corresponded with recounted how some of his buddies joined the "dark side".

I've always believed that part of the reason why ROTC was allowed to deteriorate was because the AFP leadership did not trust the loyalty of the reservist pool.

Not a very unusual phenomenon Ms. Kookie, even some PMA alumni went over to the Dark Side, most notable or notorious were Gen. Corpuz and Gen. Jarque.

Good point Rallion :thumb:

Corpuz, however, came back. Check out: http://s3.invisionfree.com/Defense_Philipp...p?showtopic=702

Trivia about Gen Jarque. He was once a commandant of the Ateneo de Davao ROTCU. Story here: http://adroth.50megs.com/Unit/cmdt/Jarque.htm

Interesting, is Rene Jarque related to Gen. Jarque?

I believe Rene is Gen Jarque's son.

I don't mean to be intregera or tsismosa but out of curiousity is this not the reason why he was pressured out of the Army because of his father?

I believe his departure from the AFP was well after Jarque joined the NPA. It even happened after Gen Jarque returned from the mountains and ran for office in Negros.

what better way to weaken and destroy your enemy from within.. damn, the red book and also the art of war must be required reading for the reds..

Come to think of it but its a good strategy for them, greatly saving on their training costs and effort.

The Rainbow Rangers - Sunday Soldiers will be having a reunion. Details as follows:

My cousin is one. He's in Alice Springs and wants to go home next month. :thumb:

bro adroth - what exactly is the legend behind the "rainbow rangers" moniker?

if you don't mind bro...

First of all, its not a "moniker". Remember, even Douglas McArthur's unit in World War I was called the "Rainbow Division".

The program was established the late 70's and early 80's, before Japanese animators decided to use rainbows in their shows.

An overview of the unit can be found here:

http://adroth.ph/History/postwar.htm

" In November 1971, a whole battalion of Sunday Soldiers and UP Cadet Officers formed the "Liberator Battalion" which policed the elections in the Lanao Provinces under the command of Lt Col Benjamin Vallejo. During its 3-week stint of peacekeeping in Lanao, nine citations for bravery were earned by cadets of the battalion. Cadet Captain Mariano Angeles was cited for bravery in action against Muslim malefactors in the mountain fastness of Butig, Lanao del Sur on November 9, 1971. Ranger John Fortes of class '70 and Cadet Captain Eustaquio Granadillos also earned citations for bravery at Puala and Malabang respectively. "

Anybody got a whole narration of this incident? Thanks

Hello sir,

I noticed that you now have a reference section in your Rainbow Rangers Web site (http://www.rainbowrangers.coms.ph/)

However an issue that I raised with you earlier remains unaddressed.

The following section was copied without permission from the ADROTH Project Website, particularly from: http://adroth.ph/History/postwar.htm

"A noteworthy development during the Marcos years was a program called the Rainbow Rangers – Sunday Soldiers. The Metro Manila-only unit provided an alternative to ceremony-centric conventional ROTC training, and was one of the earliest attempts to address inadequacies in the ROTC program. The UP ROTC formed the Rainbow Rangers – Sunday Soldiers on September 15, 1968, under the watchful eye of then Captain (later Brigadier General) Benjamin Vallejo. The unit included students from other schools, such as long time rival UST ROTC.

Trainees, who were all volunteers, were subjected to a more aggressive, combat-oriented, training regimen that exposed them to small-unit tactics, unconventional warfare, and home defense techniques. To add to the realism, the Rainbow Rangers – Sunday Soldiers were given access to real weapons.

Though based in Manila, it saw action in places as far as Mindanao. The unit formed the backbone of the “Liberator Battalion”, that took part in a 3-week peacekeeping operation in the Lanao provinces during the November elections in 1971. Members of the battalion reportedly earned 9 citations for bravery during the operation."

I ask that the ADROTH Project be given just recognition in your reference section. Otherwise I must insist that the plagarized text be removed immediately.

The issue has been addressed. :armygrin:

The unit was disbanded circa 1983, after General Vallejo’s retirement.

Does this mean there no more annual summer camp training in UP?
Its been a very long time. i was an ANAHAW VI graduate :aberet:

Yup! And I was with ANAHAW X, the first batch at Ft. Boni. :aberet:

Am i older than you are?? :armycry:

Gemini1,

Can I ask you RR-SS questions via email?

sure thing Mr Adroth. don't know if i can answer it though. whats your email and i'll ctc you.

deleted message

my friend is a graduate of anahaw IV.

I've been trying to look for answers as to how Rainbow got it's name officially. But I remember one of our cadres stated that it symbolizes the different groups under the MCMTG (Metro Manila ROTC Group) united as one. That's why in one company of volunteers, it comprises of trainees from different schools with different branches of service (PA, PAF, PC and PN). Each Unit (colleges/universities) normally have cadre members who acts as representatives or contact person of trainees where they get their call for mobilizations or special events needed to attend to. Same goes during summer camps (Anahaw), no segregation of branch of services.

i was once a member of the afp rainbow ranger, and we were the last batch i think and that was indeed in 1983.my batchmates are villamarzo,salde,teresa denoso (yup a lady), vazquez, and many more names which i can't anymore recall.actually if our inside info was right at that time, the reason why we were disbanded was that they thought that we became (some sort of) radical in that we wear mustache, wear long hair, doesn't salute, have a different way of thinking, etc.i later learned that we were even under surveillance by the afp.in 1982 or 1983, we were mobilized a day after x'mas in what was supposed to be a deployment to lanao under oplan katatagan of gen. ver.however according to our superiors, PFM was against it as we were still students.so on dec.30, we were instead sent to luneta as buffer for the rizal day ceremony.ranger mariano angeles was our division commander,but our trainor was ranger leo divina.i'm glad that there is now a website where i might be able to get in touch with my batchmates.i have been reading your many discussions here. hope it can be noticed by our political leadership because like you guys, i think the problem is right there.if i may add also, we are not students of history.that's why up to now we (or they, the politicians/policymakers), neglect our defense needs.more to follow....thanks.

Welcome to PDFF tanfoglio380!

Here are some Rainbow Rangers topics:

http://timawa.net/forum/index.php?topic=4551.0

Welcome to the forum bro, you may not know me but, i'm one of Leo D's batchmate, pls visit our site at rainbowrangers@yahoogroup.com.

many thanks mga bro.i was reading for quite some time many of your exchanges sa paf, pn, pa and i was sort of updated.very sensible. i presume many of you have been to active service.how is ranger divina doing?we have lot of respect for the guy.a natural leader.also goes for rfanger mariano.tungkol sa state ng paf, pn at pa, dapat diplomacy is reinforced with a credible defense posture;enough to show especially to the chicom that we will not take things sitting down.again the ball goes to the political leadership.ok thanks i will visit the sites that you have suggested.

Yes, it is true that there are graduates of the UP ROTC that became NPA regulars. This is due to the fact that ROTC before was mandatory. Thus, those misguided UP students indeed took up the ROTC as required.But majority of them are ordinary cadets. I must admit there are a few UP Vanguards who went astray.

The proponent of the Rainbow Rangers was BGen Vallejo. He is a UP Vanguard and upon his retirement the program was shelved.

You can contact Bgen Cayton to revive the Rainbow Ranger program. He is a UP Vanguard class 72. He is currently the CO of the AFP ResCom.

Hmmm... that must be it!

Founded by UP Vanguards, and in the '80s, a Chief of Staff with a Commander in Chief that's all Vanguards.

Just because those people were gone, the program should have been continued.

Perhaps somebody should pay him a visit. I would also like to share with you lines written by another UPV and one of our mentors in the Rainbow.
"When we think of a new adventure, we think of youth. Youth means vigor and renewal, taking up anew the tasks from weary hands. The outlook of youth though is not a monopoly of the young.
Youth looks with wonderment at the mystery of life- the coolness of the morning air, the pleasant warmth of the morning sun, the soft glow of the sailing moon, the twinkling stars in a cloudness night, the feline grace of a neighborhood cat, the undefinable charm of the gracious Filipina, the panorama of blue mountains rising to the clouds. Youth is filled with hope. It sustains itself.
Let the quality of youth be our reward, if there be nothing else, for the path we take."

"A real battle ground exist in each of us, as no one can honestly deny."
I would be honored if we will have the Rainbow again, and I would pressume a lot of my comrads would too.

any photos of "rainbow rangers"? :armyLol:

Sir;

The 1304th CDC, RESCOM PA in Manila is thinking on the same lines, to revive the Rainbow Ranger concept. The CO, Maj. Felix Benitez was a product of this program.