Article by Arabella Balderama

According to a survey conducted by the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), more than half of college freshmen and senior high school students opposed the return of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.

The CEAP’s three-week-long poll ran from April 3 to 24, revealing that 53 percent of over 20,000 students from more than 1,500 Catholic schools disagreed with the proposed restoration of mandatory ROTC.

Meanwhile, 28 percent of the respondents expressed support for the program, while the remaining 19 percent were undecided.

Students who were against the program cited reasons such as threats of violence and corruption. They also perceived the mandatory ROTC as an additional burden and expense for themselves and their families.

Further grounds stated were religious belief contradiction, medical conditions, threats to safety, the possibility of mental and physical abuse, hazing, and bullying.

“As genuine representatives of the people, let us listen and stand with the youth,” said Kabataan Party-list Representative Raoul Danniel A. Manuel.

On the other hand, respondents who were in favor of mandatory ROTC justified that the measure would teach basic military training, physical exercise, disaster preparedness, civic engagement, and self-defense skills, as well as instill patriotism, nationalism, discipline, and among students.

No need to convince “unpatriotic Filipinos”

Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa, one of the main proponents of the ROTC bill, said on Friday, June 16, 2023, that he found it unnecessary to persuade “unpatriotic Filipinos” to agree with the program.

“Defending this country is not a matter of choice. It is a constitutional duty of every citizen of this republic. Therefore, there is no need of convincing these unpatriotic Filipinos,” Dela Rosa stressed in a statement.

Despite strong opposition from critics, Dela Rosa, a former police chief, remained firm in pushing for the legislation, even as he acknowledged that it was “normal” to be concerned about the ROTC’s reintroduction given its history of corruption and abuse.

The senator said the bill included protection against any form of misconduct, violence, and corruption in the ROTC program.

Thumbnail from The Philippine Daily Inquirer