The bill seeking to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program is now a go, and will be applicable to all genders, both male and female, Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said on Tuesday, November 29.
Dela Rosa disclosed this after the Senate Subcommittee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education wrapped up its hearing on the various bills that seek to reinstate the ROTC program.
According to Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, the committee would now be forming a technical working group (TWG) in the next few weeks to discuss the final details for the substitute bill that would be reported before the Senate plenary.
“We are very confident, since this is certified as a priority measure by Malacañang. Sila mismo nagpropose ng kanilang bill, coming from the Executive branch of government. They have a proposed version of the bill and I am positive na mabilis na itong ma aprub (that this will be passed immediately),” Dela Rosa said in an interview with reporters.
Dela Rosa said the panel is eyeing approval of the bill by the first quarter of next year, 2023. The program would be managed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in partnership with the Department of National Defense (DND).
The two-year mandatory basic ROTC course would be implemented in the first and second year of tertiary level. Students would then be given an option to proceed to an advanced ROTC program in the succeeding years.
Gender equality
Dela Rosa said the revived ROTC program would now include female youths as none of the pending measures and Malacañang’s version does not provide any exemptions.
“Ang pagmamahal sa bansa hindi naman limited sa babae o lalaki, o sa Muslim o Kristiyano (Love for the country is not limited to women or men, or to Muslims or Christians),” he said.
The senator also said the ROTC program will also apply to all men and women, including artists, children of politicians. The national government, he said, will provide a special program for persons with disability (PWDs) and those who have serious medical concerns.
“Gusto ninyo ng gender equality, ayaw niyo ma consider na weaker sex, so sama-sama tayo dito. Kung atakihin tayo ng kalaban, hindi lang naman lalaki ang tatamaan ng bala, pati babae (You want gender equality, you don't want to be considered the weaker sex, so we are here together. If the enemy attacks us, not only men will be hit by bullets, but also women),” he pointed out.
“Sa lahat ng bills na in-introduce ng senators at saka ang proposal ng national government, pinag-usapan ng CHED, DND, DepEd (Department of Education)—nagkaisa na walang exempted (In all the bills introduced by the senators and then the proposal of the national government, discussed by CHED, DND, DepEd (Department of Education)—they agreed that no one is to be exempted),” the lawmaker reiterated.
He further said the training curriculum would be the same for both the male and female students. A male soldier can train female cadets, and vice versa.
“Walang distinction, basta wag i-abuse ang babae. Kung babae expert sa ganitong field, siya ang rightful person na magtuturo (There is no distinction, just don't abuse the woman. If a woman is an expert in this field, she is the rightful person to teach),” he said.
No hazing, harassment
Dela Rosa also assured the measure has sufficient safeguards to put to rest any concerns about possible harassment or hazing incident that may happen during the training period.
“May batas tayo na nagco-cover sa lahat ng krimen na yan at yang batas na yan iimplement sa kanila (We have a law that covers all crimes including those harassment and hazing, and that law will be implemented against the perpetrators),” he said.
“We have learned enough about the ROTC based on previous experiences. Alam na ng CHED at DND yan, na hindi na dapat maulit ang naging problema (CHED and the DND are already aware of it and they will make sure that the problems that arose in the past will not happen again),” the senator added.
Dela Rosa further said reinstituting the ROTC program is essential especially at this point in time when there is a necessity to "equip Filipinos with the necessary skills for the protection and preservation of life" in light of the geo-political developments, war in Ukraine, disasters and natural calamities and even the skirmishes in the West Philippine Sea.
“The demand for our readiness comes in all forms, and it is staring us right in the face. The question is, how do we respond to all of this?" Dela Rosa pointed out in his opening statement during the hearing.
“Indeed, to be prepared is already one-half of winning the battle. In this regard, I could say that this is one of the purposes of the Senate—to aid in equipping our people with the necessary skills for the protection and preservation of life. We want the confidence to say that whatever the trials may be, we can always rely on one another as brothers and sisters of this Republic,” he said.
“If I may leave you with another quote, this time from John Wooden: ‘Confidence comes from being prepared.’ Mga kababayan, hindi natin alam kung ano ang mangyayari sa atin sa mga darating na panahon. Ngunit ang natitiyak ko ay walang ibang magpapahalaga at magmamahal sa ating bayan kundi tayo rin (We don't know what will happen to us in the coming times. But what I am sure of is that no one else will appreciate and love our country but us),” he stressed.