Kabataan Partylist hits ROTC training fee included in Senate bill
MANILA, Philippines — The Kabataan Partylist on Thursday slammed a provision allowing schools to collect ROTC training fees as provided for in a Senate bill seeking to make the Reserve Officers Training Corps program compulsory again in college.
A representative of the Kabataan Partylist expressed the group’s opposition against a provision in Senate Bill 2034 that gives schools the option to charge training fees at 50% of the standard tuition per unit rate in universities that do not offer free tuition.
"These mandatory fees will keep more students out given impending tuition and other fee increase across private universities. The Mandatory ROTC doesn’t address the education crisis and will only add to students’ burden,” Kabataan Partylist Executive Vice President Renee Louise Co said in Filipino.
The proposed Senate measure states that colleges and universities may “collect a training fee of not more than 50% of the tuition fee per academic unit.”
Senate Bill No. 2034 has hurdled first reading at the Senate.
“Such funds shall be used only for the implementation of the Basic ROTC Program and maintenance of the ROTC Units and (School-Based Ready Reserve Units), if any,” the bill stated.
Co added that students should not be forced to cough up money in a program that has historically led to the death of a student.
Defense Undersecretary Franco Nemesio Gacal previously estimated that the military would need to deploy 9,000 to 10,000 of its personnel to run the program, assuming that there are 2,400 higher educational institutions and four members of the military assigned to each.
RELATED: Senators insist on mandatory ROTC despite lack of manpower for program
The return of the mandatory ROTC program is among the priority bills identified by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his second State of the Nation Address.
In February 2001, the ROTC program faced widespread criticism after Mark Welson Chua, a University of Sto. Tomas student, divulged allegations of corruption within his ROTC unit in an article published by The Varsitarian.
Chua's body was found floating in the Pasig River in March that same year.
Following the incident, student organizations organized rallies to denounce Chua’s death and initiated petition drives to eliminate the program.
A law institutionalizing the National Service Training Program, which made ROTC optional along with Literacy Training Service and Civil Welfare Training Service, was passed after.
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