8 in 10 Pinoys support mandatory ROTC

MANILA, Philippines — Nearly eight in 10 Filipinos support the return of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) for college students, according to a survey commissioned by the office of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian.

The survey results released yesterday asked 1,200 respondents whether or not they are in favor of a bill seeking mandatory ROTC in college. The poll was conducted by Pulse Asia from March 15 to 19.

The survey showed that 78 percent of the respondents favored mandatory ROTC, with 43 percent of them saying they strongly agree and 35 percent saying they somewhat agree.

Only 13 percent of the respondents said they disagreed, while 8 percent said they could not say if they agree or disagree.

In the National Capital Region, 77 percent said they support the mandatory ROTC; Balance Luzon, 72 percent; the Visayas, 80 percent and Mindanao, 92 percent.

Those who agreed were asked to pick from a list of reasons why they supported the proposal. Of these, 71 percent said they backed mandatory ROTC because “young people would learn discipline and responsibility,” while 60 percent said the program would “train students so they are prepared to defend the country.”

Meanwhile, 59 percent of the respondents said mandatory ROTC would teach the youth leadership or help them develop leadership skills, while 52 percent said they would “learn the value of teamwork.”

Those who are not in favor of mandatory ROTC believe that it will increase cases of hazing, abuse and harassment (75 percent) while others said it would be a waste of time that the youth should just dedicate to studying (56 percent), while 44 percent said it would become an instrument of power for ROTC leaders and officers.

“The voice of our countrymen is clear in supporting the return of ROTC in college,” said Gatchalian, co-author of Senate Bill 2034 or the proposed ROTC Act.

“We will continue to promote our proposal to have ROTC again in college until it is enacted. Through ROTC, we can teach the youth about discipline, love for the country and willingness to help, especially during disasters,” he added.

Gatchalian assured the public that the measure has safeguards.

“For one, a grievance board will be established in every ROTC unit to receive complaints or conduct investigation on complaints of abuse, violence or corruption,” he said.