President Bongbong Marcos has called on Congress to prioritize the passage of the bill making the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program mandatory for senior high school students.
In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos said that ROTC should be part of the senior high school curriculum in all public and private tertiary schools.
“This seeks to reinstitute the ROTC program as a mandatory component of senior high school programs grades 11 and 12 in all public and private tertiary level educational institutions,” he said.
“The aim is to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize students for national defense preparedness, including disaster preparedness and capacity building for risk-related situations,” Marcos added.
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Vice President Sara Duterte has been advocating for the return of the mandatory ROTC but some groups who opposed the proposal reminded that ROTC is prone to abuse.
Senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa said that he will be refiling his bill seeking to make ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) mandatory.
Dela Rosa said that he will be filing the same bill filed during the last Congress but he is ready to file another one should Duterte suggest another version.
“Yes, the same bill that I filed during the 18th Congress, ipa-file ko ngayon doon sa 19th Congress. At titingnan ko kung mayroong proposal ‘yung Office ng Vice President na gagawin nila, isa-submit sa akin, then I am willing to author such a bill na gusto nila, ‘yung version na gusto ni Vice President Inday Sara,” Dela Rosa said.
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Under Dela Rosa’s bill, the mandatory ROTC will be introduced to Grades 11 and 12 in both private and public schools.
An advanced ROTC will also be available to those who are willing to become officers.
“Mas mild itong aking version, kumpara mo doon sa version na, I have heard, if I’m correct, ‘yung version ni Vice President Inday Sara, di ko siya pangungunahan… ‘yung aking narinig ay ‘yung talagang mandatory military training to all the youth like the Korea, Singapore versions (na) kailangan na drafting talaga, two years drafting doon sa military, which ako, nakita ko mas mahirap palusutin ‘yan. It will face a stiff opposition,” Dela Rosa said in an ABS-CBN News report.
Duterte has been pushing for the mandatory ROTC since the campaign period.
The ROTC was made optional following the death of Mark Chua IN 2002. He was a University of Santo Tomas killed by his officers after exposing fund mismanagement.
