Cabinet in favor of making ROTC mandatory again —DepEd's Briones

Cabinet officials are generally in favor of reviving the mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) for students in Grade 11 and 12, Education Secretary Leonor Briones said Wednesday.

Interviewed on Dobol B sa News TV, Briones said making ROTC mandatory again was discussed during a Cabinet meeting two years ago.

"Actually, napag-usapan na sa Cabinet ['yang ROTC] siguro mga two years na. Pinapabor naman ng Gabinet ang pag-restore ng ROTC," she said.

As far as the Department of Education is concerned, Briones said they are still awaiting the development in the proposed legislature seeking ROTC's revival.

"Para sa amin sa department naghihintay pa kami, pero sa Gabinete meron ng desisyon," she said.

In a speech in Cavite last week,  Duterte said he thought about taking executive action as Congress has yet to pass a law reinstating the ROTC as a mandatory course.

Enacted in 2002 under then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Republic Act 9163 or the National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act makes the ROTC optional and voluntary for college students.

ROTC was then made one of three components of the NSTP. The two others were called the Literacy Training Services and the Civil Welfare Training Service.

ROTC became optional after reports of abuses.

"Maganda ang rekord ng ROTC pero medyo nabahiran lang ng masasamang practices later on," Briones said. —KBK, GMA News