By Merlina Hernando-Malipot As it welcomes the revival of the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) to Senior High School (SHS) students, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday vowed to prioritize initiatives that will help ensure the protection and safety of learners. (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) In a statement, DepEd welcomed ROTC’s revival as its proposed implementation in Grades 11 and 12 passed the third and final reading at the House of Representatives. DepEd noted that President Duterte’s “preference and instruction” to revive the mandatory ROTC— “especially his reiteration” during the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Palarong Pambansa— has “set the direction” for the DepEd to start coordinating with the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on its implementation. The department noted that the “series of consultations and discussions” have resulted in the signing of a DepEd-DND/AFP Memorandum of Agreement; creation of a joint technical working group and a joint secretariat; conceptualization of Advance Citizens Training Program (ACTP) pending the passage of the law reviving mandatory ROTC; drafting of curriculum guide and modules; drafting of ACTP implementing policies and guidelines; listing of pilot schools; training of potential pilot program implementors; and development of common positions at congressional hearings. Protection and safety of learners Meanwhile, the DepEd advocates the “strict adherence” to the some laws and policies which “should be reiterated explicitly in the proposed law” to help “ensure the protection and safety of learners.” DepEd said these laws and policies include the Learners and Schools as Zones of Peace to ensure that there will be “no introduction of firearms” in school premises; the Child Protection Policy; the Management of Children-at-Risk and Children in Conflict with the Law; the Special Protection of Children against Abuse, Exploitation, and Discrimination; the Anti-Hazing and Anti-Bullying; the Prohibition of Fraternities and Sororities in Elementary and Secondary Schools; and the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Its Optional Protocol. Aside from strict “adherence” to these laws and policies, DepEd has also proposed with Senator Sherwin Gatchalian the inclusion of certain provisions in the proposed law such as the establishment of grievance committees from districts to the national level; a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee and mandatory evaluation and review; and the imposition of maximum penalty for offenses under existing laws committed by implementors. DepEd is also pushing for the establishment of an ROTC instructors’ academy as well as the pilot program implementation to limited number of schools in the first two years of implementation. In an earlier press briefing in Malacañang, DepEd Office of the Undersecretary for Administration Alain Del Pascua said there is an initial list of at least 100 schools, both public and private, for the pilot run should the bill passed into a law before the 17th Congress officially adjourns on June 7. Aside from these, DepEd is also asking for an authorization to use existing budget for pilot implementation prior to inclusion in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA) and the allocation of special annual budget to cover implementation, such as but not limited to training of instructors; uniforms for instructors and students; replica firearms; manuals and textbooks; office facilities and supplies; classroom and ground maintenance; instructors’ remuneration, etc. DepEd also wanted an “expanded role” on the mandatory ROTC Program through its joint supervision and administration with the DND and AFP. Priority concerns While it supports the mandatory ROTC, DepEd emphasizes the inclusion of “priority concerns” in all of its undertakings. In the ROTC curriculum and implementation, DepEd wants to ensure that “patriotism, nationalism, and core values” and Filipino “citizenship, civic duty, and discipline” would be highlighted. DepEd added that the entire program should also re-introduce to the learners the national heroes and history of the Filipino nation and instill among them the “respect for human and civil rights, rule of law, and law enforcement.” The department noted that ROTC should also encourage critical thinking, leadership, and scientific and technological development among the learners and educate them about disaster preparedness and response, rescue and first aid, and recovery and rehabilitation as well as ecology and environment protection. The program should also cover anti-drug abuse and anti-poverty. Pascua’s office, along with the Bureau of Learner Support Services, Bureau of Curriculum and Development, Bureau of Learning Delivery, and Youth Formation Division, are involved in the said undertaking. READ MORE: DepEd supports implementation of ROTC in senior high school