DepEd vows to put 'safeguards' on bill reinstating mandatory ROTC

The Department of Education (DepEd) has vowed to work with Congress to ensure that bullying will not happen if ever mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) will be implemented.

In the latest episode of The Mangahas Interviews, DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa reiterated the department’s support for President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s call for the program’s revival but clarified that reinstituting it would require an enabling law—a power that falls under the legislative branch.

“Para sa kaalaman ng publiko, ang pagsasagawa ng mandatory ROTC is not something DepEd can do. It’s an act of Congress. It will need an enabling law. Tayo, we will have to sit down with Congress and CHED (Commission on Higher Education) kung may mapafile na bill to discuss ‘yung details kung ano ba ang magiging sistema ng ROTC. In terms of the general idea, the DepEd supports ‘yung ating Pangulo sa panukalang ito,” he said.

(For the information of the public, making ROTC mandatory is not something DepEd can do. It’s an act of Congress. It will need an enabling law. We will have to sit down with Congress and CHED if a bill is filed to discuss the details and the system of the ROTC. In terms of the general idea, the DepEd supports our President on this matter.)

“We’re not turning a blind eye, alam natin na may insidente ng ganyan. We will not sugarcoat things. This is in the implementation part, that’s why when we see ‘yung panukala….We will make sure na doon sa bill may safeguards na mailalagay para ‘yung bullying ay hindi maulit. Maipapakita natin natuto po tayo sa previous incidents na ganyan,” he added.

(We’re not turning a blind eye. We know such incidents happen. We will not sugarcoat things. But this is in the implementation part, that’s why when we see the bill…We will make sure to put in place safeguards to prevent bullying and show that we’ve already learned from the previous incidents.)

It can be recalled that Marcos pushed for a mandatory ROTC program for senior high school students during his first State of the Nation Address (SONA).

His remarks drew mixed reactions with Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte supporting it while several progressive groups, including Kabataan party-list, opposing it citing additional expenses and waste of public funds, burden on students, culture of violence and corruption, fake nationalism, threat to academic freedom, and violation of domestic and international laws and conventions as reasons for opposing the proposal.

The mandatory ROTC program was scrapped in 2002 following the passage of Republic Act 9163 which established the National Service Training Program.

This came after the March 2001 killing of University of Santo Tomas student Mark Wilson Chua, allegedly by his ROTC handlers after he had exposed the corruption in the ROTC corps.—AOL, GMA News