Senators urge pro-ROTC lawmakers to scrap bill making it mandatory
Published Mar 3, 2023 11:22 am
Senators on Friday, March 3, called on proponents and supporters of the bill reviving the Reserved Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) to give up on the measure that seeks to make it mandatory.
“Scrap the bill making ROTC mandatory. Make it only optional to those who are ‘militarily inclined’ or interested in military matters,” Senate Minority Leader Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said in response to media query on calls for the revival of the ROTC program following the hazing death of John Salilig, an Adamson University engineering student.
Deputy Minority Leader Sen. Risa Hontiveros echoed Pimentel’s call, saying the murder of Mark Welson Chua, a University of Santo Tomas (UST) student and cadet, after he exposed corruption and extortion in the ROTC program was the reason it was no longer made mandatory.
Until now, Hontiveros noted justice has not been fully served to the family. “Walang puwang ang anumang uri ng karahasan sa ating mga paaralan at pamantasan (Violence of any kind has no place in our schools and universities,” she said.
“There is no compelling justification to revive the mandatory ROTC program. Our education authorities, both in DepEd (Department of Education) and CHED (Commission on Higher Education), should focus on actively making campuses safe spaces and exert zero-tolerance of savage practices like hazing, to protect students from all forms of violence and unnecessary, preventable deaths,” she pointed out.
Hontiveros also explained that the government spending billions of pesos on the ROTC program, especially at a time of economic and education crises, is a “waste of precious taxpayers’ money.”
“Government spending should go instead to programs that address learning poverty, losses, and gaps,” she stressed.
“Public funds intended to support mandatory ROTC are better spent on improving the LTS (Literacy Training Service) components of the NSTP (National Service Training Program) to create a pool of reserves for our literacy campaign),” added the senator.
Sen. Joel Villanueva agreed also noting the fact that the government would be spending P20-billion worth of funds for the ROTC program implementation.
“I feel that the clamor to study further the bill on ROTC became stronger now, considering this is mandatory,” Villanueva said.
“I, for one, have reservations (about the bill). It’s important to bring back discussions why this was removed in the first place. Let’s go back to the cases that were filed in 2001. There was already a conviction but the case remains unsolved,” he said.
“I have reservations on (making it) mandatory…we are open to debates…I think you should also imagine then the government’s preparation, because ‘under the table’ dealings happen. It happened in 2001 at UST, and that’s the reason why they scrapped it,” he said.
“The AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) also need to spend about P20-billion. It’s a factor also that we should consider, it’s not some loose change,” he pointed out.
And though the PNP, the AFP and other law enforcement agencies have allayed fears about the resurgence of hazing activities in the course of the ROTC program, everyone remains skeptical.
“We must see to it that whose who engage in activities that supposedly espouse good citizenship and fellowship,” Sen. Grace Poe said, adding she believes the implementation of the Anti-Hazing Law is still wanting.
“Violence against the youth has caused them their lives and brought agony to their families,” she stressed. Sen. Nancy Binay also backed calls to scrap the ROTC program, insisting that “we all agree that the culture of violence has no place in a civilized society.” “The reasons why the ROTC program was suspended were because of corruption, abuse and hazing? We need to put a stop to the decadent culture and violent tradition which have long been embedded in the system,” Binay said. “It’s so hard to understand, align and reconcile love of country with a training course that is flawed to the core,” she added. “Ang hirap din ipaliwanag kung bakit ang sinasabing (It’s also hard to explain why the ‘tradition of discipline’ accounts for a long list of hazing cases),” she pointed out. (With reports from Hannah Torregoza)
“We must see to it that whose who engage in activities that supposedly espouse good citizenship and fellowship,” Sen. Grace Poe said, adding she believes the implementation of the Anti-Hazing Law is still wanting.
“Violence against the youth has caused them their lives and brought agony to their families,” she stressed. Sen. Nancy Binay also backed calls to scrap the ROTC program, insisting that “we all agree that the culture of violence has no place in a civilized society.” “The reasons why the ROTC program was suspended were because of corruption, abuse and hazing? We need to put a stop to the decadent culture and violent tradition which have long been embedded in the system,” Binay said. “It’s so hard to understand, align and reconcile love of country with a training course that is flawed to the core,” she added. “Ang hirap din ipaliwanag kung bakit ang sinasabing (It’s also hard to explain why the ‘tradition of discipline’ accounts for a long list of hazing cases),” she pointed out. (With reports from Hannah Torregoza)