BANGUED, Abra (PNA) – An official of the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) said the resumption of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) will make the youth more involved in the affairs of the community which will further improve their volunteerism spirit.

"If you expose the young people to community activities where they will see or feel their fellowmen, they will see the importance of making themselves useful not just for themselves but the others," NICA Region 1 Director Mildred Abordo said Saturday, August 6, on the sidelines of the agency's turnover of relief goods to the Abra Diocese here to be distributed to earthquake victims.

She said making ROTC a requirement in school does not necessarily mean teaching them to hold a weapon and fire a gun.

"Maraming ways para ma-implement ang ROTC program, isa diyan ang pag-expose at pagtuturo paano magresponde at tumulong pag may kalamidad (There are many ways on how the ROTC program can be implemented and one is to expose and teach them how to respond and help during calamities)," Abordo said.

She belied claims of some sectors that the ROTC will teach students to become youth soldiers.

"Hindi totoo ‘yun kasi may ROTC naman tayo noon pa at hindi naman ginawang youth soldiers ang mga estudyante (It's not true because we had ROTC even before and it did not turn the students into youth soldiers)," Abordo said.

She added that creating youth volunteers who care for those in need is the primary purpose of ROTC.

Abordo said calamity strikes anytime, anywhere, and having young people with a heart to help will do a lot in mitigating the sufferings of the victims.

Discipline, volunteerism, and care for others are important lessons taught in the ROTC, which will help mold the youth to become good citizens, she noted.

Abordo said at NICA, they expose their young personnel to volunteerism during calamities, such as collecting donations that they send to victims.