House OKs mandatory ROTC for high school

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives yesterday approved on third and final reading a measure that seeks to establish a mandatory basic Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) for senior high school students in public and private schools.

House Bill 8961 or the ROTC Act institutionalizes or mandates ROTC training program for students enrolled in Grades 11 and 12 in all educational institutions, whether public or private, and which will serve as a prerequisite for graduation.

Rep. Sarah Elago of militant party-list Kabataan lamented that this was done “without senior high school/K-12 implementation review, and even without status report/resolution on the program’s widespread cases of harassment, hazing and corruption.”

The bill (HB 8961) consolidated three separate measures filed by House Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu of Batangas and Reps. Raul Tupas of Iloilo and Micaela Violago of Nueva Ecija.

Exempted from mandatory ROTC course are students who are physically and psychologically unfit; athletic scholars chosen to represent the school in sports competitions and those with other valid reasons as approved by the Department of National Defense.

Abu said the revival of the ROTC has become a vital course for the youth to inculcate in them the “spirit of nationalism, nation-building and national preparedness.”

He said the proposed measure would also reinforce the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ reserve manpower supply and the capacity of the government to respond to threats to national security and national emergency.

The ROTC was then compulsory for college students, particularly among those in first and second year, but due to the new K-12 curriculum, this can now be taken in its new school equivalent – Grades 11 and 12 in public and private schools.

The measure aims to amend Republic Act 7077 or the “Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act” to make ROTC mandatory.

Generally, the proposed law will introduce basic military training for students to motivate, train, organize and utilize for national defense preparedness or civil-military operations.