69% of public OK with ROTC for senior high students —survey

A Pulse Asia survey commissioned by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian shows that 69% of Filipinos are in favor of a Reserved Officer Training Corps (ROTC) program for senior high school students.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate's Basic Education Committee, is an advocate of reinstating mandatory ROTC in school.

The survey was conducted from June 24 to 27, 2022, among 1,200 respondents, who were asked how much they agree or disagree with the proposals to implement the ROTC program for senior high school students.

The poll showed that 71% of the respondents in the National Capital Region agreed to proposals to restore the ROTC program in Senior High School.

The proposals were also backed by 67% of respondents in Balance Luzon, 78% of respondents in Visayas and 64% in Mindanao.

In the same study, 71% of respondents from Classes ABC as well as in Class D favor the revival of the ROTC program for Grades 11 and 12 while 54% of participants from Class E are in favor of the proposal.

During his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. pushed for a mandatory ROTC program for senior high school students, naming it as one of the priority measures of the administration.

Several officials and lawmakers have also pushed for mandatory ROTC, including Vice President Sara Duterte and Gatchalian.

Under Gatchalian's version of the bill, the Basic ROTC Program will include basic military training to motivate, train, organize and utilize students for national defense preparedness or civil-military operations.

The bill states that no student below the age of 18 shall take direct part in hostilities.

Gatchalian's proposed program also includes civic training and preparedness during actual disaster response operations.

According to the senator, this will enhance the capacity of the nation to produce the needed manpower and to expand its human resources in times of war, calamities and disasters, emergencies, and in support to the law enforcement strategy of the government against crimes by creating a pool of trained reservists.

Students who completed the Basic ROTC Program will be automatically registered in the Reserve Force once they reach the legal age.

Meanwhile, those who fail to undergo the mandatory Basic ROTC Program will not be qualified to graduate.

Gatchalian's bill also provides exceptions to students who are certified psychologically and physically unfit by the Armed Forces of the Philippines Surgeon General, have undergone or are undergoing similar military training, and those who are chosen as varsity players in sports competitions.

Amid concerns on possible abuse in the ROTC program, the senator said that his proposal includes safeguards and ensures compliance with the Department of Education’s Child Protection Policy and several legislation like the Special Protection of Children in Situations of Armed Conflict Act, the Anti-Hazing Act of 2018, and the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.

A grievance committee will also be formed under the senator's proposed measure. This will receive complaints and conduct investigations on allegations of abuse violence and corruption. — BM, GMA News