San Sebastian College-Recoletos ROTC Unit was activated on 31 January 1973, and is considered the oldest Reserve Officers' Training Corps Unit in the Province of Cavite. San Sebastian College-Recoletos de Cavite Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Unit was activated on 31 January 1973 by virtue of General Orders Nr 280 of the General Headquarters, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) under the command of GEN ROMEO C ESPINO AFP, who was then the AFP Chief of Staff. It was placed under the operational control of the Philippine Army and was supervised by the 110th Home Defense Center of the 2nd Infantry Battalion beginning in School Year 1973-1974. It was considered the oldest existing Philippine Army ROTC Unit in the Province of Cavite, until the offering of the ROTC program temporarily halted in the school with the enactment of Republic Act 9163, also known as the National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001, when the school administration decided to offer the Civic Welfare Training Service as the general NSTP component for all students. Escobar, College Dean, formally requested to MAJ ARIEL T MATIC (INF) PA, Director of the 402nd (Cavite) Community Defense Center, 4th Regional Community Defense Group, Army Reserve Command, the reopening of the ROTC program in SSC-R de Cavite beginning on School Year 2021-2022, and 2LT JONALD JUSTINE U ITUGOT PA (RES), a resident of Cavite City and an alumnus of the school, who was then the Battalion Operations Officer of the 402nd (Cavite) Ready Reserve Infantry Battalion, was officially designated as the first Commandant of the newly-reopened ROTC Unit effective on 28 August 2021. Since its reopening, SSC-R de Cavite ROTC Unit has actively participated in various endeavors of the Philippine Army and the AFP in general, especially espousing the skills of SSC-R’s students in the field of Information Technology as it was hailed as the Champion in E-Sports during the Philippine ROTC Games 2023 (Luzon Leg), and as the first runner-up in the Philippine Army Cyber - Capture the Flag Competition organized by the Army Signal Regiment and the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Command and Control, Communications and Cyber Systems (C4S) of the Philippine Army.
