Youth leader favors ROTC resurrection

CEBU, Philippines — The chairman of the Cebu Provincial Youth Commission (PYC) is in favor of the planned resurrection of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) for senior high school students.

PYC Chairperson James Canoy said he also once took the high school counterpart of ROTC which is the Citizenship Advancement Training (CAT).

This after President Rodrigo Roa Duterte said in a speech this week that he is encouraging Congress to pass a law bringing back the mandatory ROTC for grades 11 and 12 students.

“For me, dako kaayo siya ug impact sa atong mga batan-on. Sa CAT man gud, i-tudlo man sab gud unsaon nga mahimo nga usa  ka batan-on nga naa kay patriotism sa atong nasud,” Canoy said.

Aside from patriotism, the program can help instill discipline on the youth, he said.

While there is a National Service Training Program (NSTP) that is existing, Canoy said that it is not well implemented as he heard of schools where NSTP students can pass, so long as they pay the tuition for the course.

“Kaysa karon nga wala siya (ROTC), naa silay choice nga mopili og NSTP.  But sa atong madunggan nga wala siya natarong og implement kay naay uban na pwede mabayran,” he said.

Canoy also acknowledged that there have been flaws during the implementation of the ROTC and the CAT.

However, once reintroduced, the government can lay down standards of operation or guidelines which can iron out the flaws in the previous version of the NSTP.

He recalled that among the issues before include hazing and unsanitary practices introduced by the senior officers to their trainees.

“Strict nga pag-implementar sa kurso. Tingali dako kaayo ug role ang eskwelahan ug mga senior high campuses,” he said.

Canoy also said that ROTC officers may be tapped by the organizations in the grassroots levels to help with their projects.

He stressed that bringing back the program may foster and strengthen the spirit of volunteerism among the Filipino youth.

Meanwhile, Provincial Sangguniang Kabataan Federation President Jerico Rubio said that should the ROTC be mandatory again, each Filipino youth is bound to support and comply with the law, regardless of the wisdom behind it. — GAN (FREEMAN)