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Return of mandatory ROTC part of Marcos legislative agenda

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Jaehwa Bernardo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="University of the Philippines (UP) students under the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) perform a military drill on April 30, 2017 at the Diliman campus in Quezon City. Manny Palmero, ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/06/20/20170430-students-rotc-mgp-2.jpg"/><figcaption>University of the Philippines (UP) students under the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) perform a military drill on April 30, 2017 at the Diliman campus in Quezon City. <em>Manny Palmero, ABS-CBN News/File</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA<strong> (2nd UPDATE) </strong>— President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday urged Congress to pass a law requiring senior high school students to undergo military training.</p><p>In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos said the Reserve Officers&#x27; Training Corps (ROTC) should become mandatory for Grades 11 and 12 students &quot;in all public and private tertiary-level educational institutions.&quot;</p><p>&quot;The aim is to motivate, train, organize and mobilize students for national defense preparedness, including disaster preparedness and capacity building for risk-related situations,&quot; he said, citing the proposal as among his priority measures.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2140611" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Sen. Risa Hontiveros opposed the return of mandatory ROTC, saying there are other ways for the Filipino youth to serve their country.</p><p>&quot;Ito&#x27;y isang programa mula sa nakaraan na napatunayan hindi iyon ang optimal kasi &#x27;yong mga kabataan natin, may iba&#x27;t ibang paraan para mahalin at magsilbi kay Inang Bayan,&quot; she told reporters after the SONA.</p><p>(This is a program from the past that&#x27;s been proven to not be optimal because the youth have different ways to show their love and serve our motherland.)</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sen. Risa Hontiveros said Marcos Jr.’s SONA is not far from briefings by the DBCC, wishes there were mentions to address corruption. Hontiveros also emphasized she is against the push for mandatory ROTC mentioned in the SONA. <a href="https://twitter.com/ABSCBNNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ABSCBNNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/m0Ghp0EJQW">pic.twitter.com/m0Ghp0EJQW</a></p>— Wena Cos (@wenacos) <a href="https://twitter.com/wenacos/status/1551516958494826498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 25, 2022</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>&quot;&#x27;Yong ibang kabataang Pilipino [na] gustong maglingkod kay Inang Bayan sa iba pang mga paraan, huwag natin silang pipilitin,&quot; she said.</p><p>(Those Filipino youth who want to serve our motherland through other ways, let&#x27;s not force them.)</p><p>In a Teleradyo interview, former opposition congressman Carlos Zarate also said the administration should not prioritize bringing back mandatory ROTC.</p><p>&quot;Ang ipinalit sa ROTC, &#x27;yong kasalukuyang programa ngayon ay umiiral, nakakatulong sa ating kabataan,&quot; he said, referring to the National Service Training Program (NSTP) that replaced mandatory ROTC in 2002.</p><p>(The current program that replaced ROTC is helpful for the youth.)</p><p>&quot;Kung gusto nating ituro ang pagiging makabayan at &#x27;yong boluntarismo ay hindi kailangang idaan sa isang militaristang pamamaraan,&quot; Zarate said, adding that the administration should focus on other important education concerns such as ensuring the safe reopening of schools.</p><p>(If we want to teach patriotism and volunteerism to our youth, we don&#x27;t need to do it through a militaristic approach.)</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qhDTJAbhCd0?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>ROTC became optional in higher education following the death of Mark Welson Chua, a University of Santo Tomas student who was allegedly slain by officers for exposing alleged fund mismanagement.</p><p>Military training is one of 3 components of the NSTP that college students can choose to fulfill, alongside the Civic Welfare Training Service and Literacy Training Service.</p><p>Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte earlier said she hoped legislative priorities in the 19th Congress would include the reinstatement of mandatory ROTC. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/20/22/sara-duterte-hopes-mandatory-rotc-a-congress-priority">Sara Duterte hopes mandatory ROTC a priority for Congress</a></li></ul><p>In the run-up to the 2022 national elections, Duterte said she wanted the Philippines to have a mandatory military service similar to that of South Korea, which is part of efforts to defend itself against a hostile North Korea.</p><div><strong>— With a report from Wena Cos, ABS-CBN News</strong></div>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urged Congress to pass a law that would make ROTC mandatory in senior high school.

Return of mandatory ROTC part of Marcos legislative agenda

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Return of mandatory ROTC part of Marcos legislative agenda

Jaehwa Bernardo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Jul 25, 2022 07:09 PM PHT

|

Updated Jul 25, 2022 10:16 PM PHT

Read More:

ROTC

Reserve Officers' Training Corps

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