A bill has been at the House of Representatives anew seeking the revival of the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) for students.
Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. is making a push for the return of the ROTC program for students in the Senior High School through House Bill (HB) No. 4500.
HB 4500 or the ROTC Act of 2022 mandates the institutionalization of the basic ROTC course in Grades 11 and 12 in all of the country’s educational institutions if enacted into law.
“The State must once again make mandatory the enrollment of all students in Grades 11 and 12 in ROTC for our country to have a sufficient reserve officers to call to render military service when warranted by national circumstance, whether as in response to any national security threat or national emergency,” Teves said in his bill’s explanatory note.
The proposed measure also sought to “enhance the capacity of the State to produce the needed manpower and to extend its human resources in times of war, calamities, disasters, and national or local emergencies,” according to the lawmaker.
He also said that under HB 4500, the ROTC would be mandatory for male students enrolled in public and private schools. It would form part of all baccalaureate degree courses and two year technical or vocational courses as a requisite for graduation.
“It is the policy of the State to call upon its citizens to defend the nation and in fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required to render personal, military or civil service,” Teves explained.
In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. called on Congress to pass a law mandating the ROTC program for senior high school students, which is suppoted by the Department of Education (DepEd).
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Vice President Sara Duterte, the concurrent Education secretary, already discussed with the country’s security sector ways to move forward with the Marcos administration’s plan to bring back the mandatory ROTC program earlier this month.
The ROTC, a military training program, was made optional under the National Service Training Program (NSTP) in 2001 in response to fatal hazing activities.
But the ROTC was abolished a few years back due to several controversial issues hounding its leadership.
Under Teves’ bill, the Department of National Defense (DND) would be tasked to prescribe a training program for ROTC. Universities, colleges and similar learning institutions would coordinate with the DND for the conduct of military training in their respective schools.
READ: VP Duterte tackles ‘ways forward’ for mandatory ROTC
Graduates from the basic ROTC training course and advance ROTC program may, subject to existing laws, policy or regulation, be eligible for commissioning or lateral entry and enlistment in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP).
The proposed measure would establish an independent ROTC Grievance and Ethics Board to oversee and receive any complaint from the students. The board would be composed of a representative from the DND, DepEd, school and Parents Teachers Association, or any similar organization.