Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa on Tuesday, April 9 said he is confident that the Senate will pass the Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) bill soon. 

Though it may not be able to get the majority of the votes of the Senate, Dela Rosa said he is certain that the measure has a good chance at passing in the Upper House.

This, after Senate President Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri said that the Senate will prioritize the ROTC bill in May, before the sine-die break.

“If we’re to vote on it, I’m sure it would win. However, it will not be overwhelming,” said Dela Rosa in Filipino and English in an interview.

“(There’s a) slim margin if we will vote on it. We will win by a slim margin,” he said.

Zubiri, in an ambush interview on Monday, said he believes more senators favor the revival of the ROTC. He also disclosed about commissioning a Pulse Asia survey in December 2023 revealing that 77 percent of Filipinos favor the return of ROTC.

Dela Rosa said he had already talked to the Senate leader about scheduling deliberations on his bill.

“I asked him maybe we can tackle it,” he said.

He also added he is hopeful that the bill would get the Senate’s nod before President Marcos’ State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.

“Yes, I’m hopeful. There’s nothing wrong with hoping. I’m hoping we can pass it before the SONA,” he said.