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House approves National Citizens Service Training Program bill

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RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="ABS-CBN News/File" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/news/07/27/20170430-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. Manny Palmero, ABS-CBN News/File</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA - Voting 276-4-1, the House of Representatives on Thursday approved on 3rd and final reading House Bill 6687, or the proposed National Citizens Service Training Program Act which mandates military training for students.The bill will now be transmitted to the Senate for consideration.Earlier in the day, the House of Representatives approved the bill on 2nd reading. The chamber proceeded to vote on the final reading after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr certified the necessity of the immediate enactment of the bill. Under the Constitution, such a certification paves the way for the chamber to approve the bill on the 2nd, and the final reading on the same day.House Committee on Higher and Technical Education Chair, Baguio City Rep. Mark Go explained the salient points of the bill in his sponsorship speech, saying the bill already has 49 co-authors.Go said the Reserve Officers&#x27; Training Corps (ROTC) program of instruction shall include advanced military subjects and courses, practical exercises, and field exercises necessary and appropriate for an entry-level officer commission in the Philippine military. &quot;With the passage of this bill, we endeavor to instill among the youth patriotism, love of country, moral and spiritual virtues, respect for human rights, and adherence to the Constitution,&quot; he said.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/11/29/22/dela-rosa-confident-senate-will-pass-mandatory-rotc-bill-in-2023">Dela Rosa confident Senate will pass &#x27;mandatory ROTC&#x27; bill in 2023</a></li></ul>Under the bill, the two-year NCST shall be mandatory for all students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs in all public and private HEIs, and at least two-year TVET courses in all TVls in the Philippines.It will mandate that the NCST shall be administered to cover undergraduate and postsecondary TVET students for at least four semesters or 240 hours over two school years unless otherwise allowed by the CHED or TESDA in accordance with the rules recommended by the NCST Technical Panel.The bill creates an NCST Program Technical Panel which shall formulate, periodically review and update the NCST Program design, curriculum, modes and method of delivery.The panel will have representatives from CHED, TESDA, DND, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the Department of the Interior and Local Government, the Philippine National Police, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the National Youth Commission, the Philippine National Volunteer Service Coordinating Agency, the Philippine Red Cross, a student representative and two private sector representatives who shall be recognized experts or practitioners in the field of citizen service training, disaster preparedness, reservist training, or related fields.However, during the period of amendments, the Makabayan bloc got the majority&#x27;s nod for its proposal to remove the AFP from the NCST Panel, to be replaced by a representative of a teacher&#x27;s union and another representative from the student&#x27;s unionThe bill likewise mandates the CHED or TESDA, based on rules recommended by the NCST Technical Panel, to prescribe Special NCST programs to address the special needs and circumstances of students.The bill mandates that citizen cadets, upon completion of the NCST, shall be deemed NCST graduates and shall be incorporated in the National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC) and the AFP Citizen Armed Force (AFP Reserve Force).The bill makes the ROTC Program an optional four-year military training program designed to provide military training to students enrolled in undergraduate degree programs in HEIS who have expressed interest or shown potential to be officers of the AFP Regular and Reserve Force. The bill mandates that the ROTC Program Curriculum, designed by the DND and CHED and administered by the AFP, shall be primarily to train volunteer tertiary education students to be officers of the Regular and Reserve Force of the AFP, and to prepare graduates of the four year ROTC Program to be capable of immediate deployment as AFP commissioned officers immediately after graduation from the ROTC and earning their baccalaureate degree.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/26/22/rotc-a-waste-of-taxpayers-money-student-leaders-say">ROTC a financial burden, waste of taxpayers&#x27; money —student leaders</a></li></ul>ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro voted against the bill, citing the 2002 death of ROTC cadet Mark Welson Chua due to his officers&#x27; cruelty.Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas and Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel likewise voted against the bill.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/multimedia/photo/12/15/22/students-protest-against-hb-6486">Students say no to mandatory NCTSP</a></li></ul>

The House of Representatives approved House Bill 6687 which mandates military training for students.

House approves National Citizens Service Training Program bill

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House approves National Citizens Service Training Program bill

RG Cruz,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 15, 2022 10:54 PM PHT

Read More:

House of Representatives

NCST

National Citizens Service Training Program Act

CHED

Commission on Higher Education

TESDA

Technical Education and Skills Development Authority

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