Push Admin

Philippines must consider ROTC return amid China-Taiwan row: expert

Article (news)

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA - The Philippines must come up with a new national defense law and consider the return of the Reserve Officers&#x27; Training Corps (ROTC), a foreign policy expert said Friday as the conflict between US, China, and Taiwan escalates.</p><p>Government will have to remain neutral &quot;in terms of rhetoric&quot; but has to &quot;prepare for possible eventuality,&quot; according to Renato de Castro, member of the International Studies Department at the De La Salle University in Manila.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/video/news/08/04/22/ph-must-brace-for-chinas-possible-forcible-retake-of-taiwan-analyst">PH must brace for China&#x27;s possible &#x27;forcible retake&#x27; of Taiwan: security analyst</a></li>	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/08/04/22/taiwan-preparing-for-war-without-seeking-war-military">Taiwan &#x27;preparing for war without seeking war&#x27;: military</a></li></ul><p>&quot;We have the National Defense Act of 1936 which was drafted during the Commonwealth period. We were still a territory of the US,&quot; he told ANC&#x27;s Headstart.</p><p>&quot;Number 2, we probably need to consider the return of the ROTC because we really need to prep our population if push comes to shove.&quot;</p><p>It&#x27;s best for the Philippines to &quot;play both sides&quot; in terms of diplomacy while at the same time strengthening its military, De Castro said.</p><p>&quot;The Armed Forces of the Philippines has been focused on internal security for so long, it’s time for us to put our money where our mouth is,&quot; he said.</p><p>&quot;Third, continue fostering our security partnerships with South Korea, Australia, and Japan, ensuring that ASEAN centrality remains one of the pillars of great power competition in our region.&quot;</p><p>The Philippines must also strengthen its relationships with its allies for assistance in the evacuation of some 160,000 Filipino migrant workers in Taiwan, De Castro added.</p><p>&quot;How are we gonna evacuate 150,000 to 160,000 overseas Filipino workers when we don&#x27;t have the military capability to do so,&quot; he said.</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=2158026" 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>

The Philippines must come up with a new national defense law and consider the return of the ROTC, a foreign policy expert said Friday.