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By Prince Golez, Manila Reporter
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Thursday, February 9, 2017
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MANILA – Student groups criticized the proposal to restore compulsory Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) for Grades 11 and 12 in public schools nationwide.
The revival of mandatory ROTC in Senior High School only promotes “a culture of blind obedience and impunity,” the National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) said.
Earlier, Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella confirmed that the President already approved the proposal.
In 2001, the program was abolished following the murder of University of Sto. Tomas student Mark Welson Chua, who was killed after he exposed the corruption and malpractices of ROTC officers.
“It cannot be stressed enough that the history of the ROTC program is one that is laden with corruption, violence, and abuse. Since its inception, it has continuously violated the democratic and academic rights of Filipino students,” NUSP said.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, on the other hand, urged President Rodrigo Duterte to certify as urgent his Senate Bill No. (SBN) 200, a measure that proposes the revival of the mandatory ROTC program.
SBN 200 requires students enrolled in colleges, universities, and technical and vocational schools to complete a two-year ROTC program before graduation.
“Instituting a mandatory ROTC program for senior high schools students is a great way to shore up our military’s reserve corps while instilling the fundamental ideals of patriotism and public service in the youth. I am definitely willing to sponsor this bill when it is forwarded to the Senate,” Gatchalian said./PN
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