MANILA – The House of Representatives’ Committee on Basic Education and Culture approved a measure seeking for the revival of the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) training.
The House panel has unanimously approved the motion of Batangas representative Raneo Abu for the passage of the still unnumbered bill, which will require senior high school students in public and private schools throughout the country to take ROTC training.
The House committee’s approval of the measure came two months since President Rodrigo Duterte urged Congress to expedite the restoration of ROTC for senior high school students “to instill patriotism and love of country among the youth.”
The approved bill, which seeks to amend Republic Act 7077 (Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act), has the backing of the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of National Defense (DND).
Under the proposed measure, the ROTC training would apply to “all students in grades 11 and 12 in all senior high schools in public and private educational institutions and shall be a requirement for graduation.”
The following students may be exempted from training: those who are physically or psychologically unfit; those who have undergone or are undergoing similar military training; those who are chosen by their school to serve as the school’s varsity players in sports competition; and those who may be exempted from training for valid reasons as approved by the DND, upon recommendation by an educational institution where the concerned student is enrolled./PN
