Military, defense dept. welcome Marcos' move to revive ROTC
The military and defense department welcome President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. move to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in senior high school.
"The Philippine Army supports the national defense strategy of our Commander-in-Chief which includes the revival of the mandatory ROTC program for our youth. Moreover, the organization trusts the wisdom of our legislators for the program’s revival," Col. Xerxes Trinidad, Philippine Army spokesman, said on Tuesday.
"Notably, the ROTC program is anchored on the Constitutional provision on the defense of the State. It is a crucial part of the military’s long-term reserve force development plan that instills discipline, patriotism and nationalistic values to our youth, the future of the nation," he said
"The Philippine Army, as part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), reaches out to the youth by providing them with another perspective on nation-building. The proposed revival of the mandatory ROTC program will be instrumental in the development of a capable, committed and well-trained reserve force that will serve as an expansion base for the regular force in times of war, rebellion, or other national emergencies," he added.
Arsenio Andolong, defense department spokesman, also noted that "the proposed revival of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) in senior high school will greatly enhance our efforts to orient and prepare our youth for national defense preparedness and disaster response."
Acting AFP spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said ROTC is part of the AFP's reserve force development program which "instills upon individuals the discipline and physical traits required to perform the challenging tasks of protecting the people and the state from all threats, natural or man-made."
"Risking one's life to save others is part of the value system inculcated in the training. Improvements have already been introduced to correct the mistakes of the long past," he said.
During his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), Marcos seeks to bring back the ROTC program as a mandatory component of senior high school programs (Grades 11 and 12) in all public and private tertiary-level educational institutions.
As one of his proposed legislation, Marcos noted that the mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) and National Service Training Program (NSTP) "aims to motivate, train, organize and mobilize the students for national defense preparedness, including disaster preparedness and capacity building for risk-related situations." Robina Asido/DMS
