Zubiri: Senate to prioritize mandatory ROTC bill debates in May

The Senate will prioritize in May the deliberations on the bill seeking to make Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) mandatory, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Monday.

The lawmaker made an assurance that the Senate will vote on the measure when asked about Senator Robin Padilla's earlier remark that he will just push for the recruitment of more reservists through his own initiatives as he already lost hope on the passage of the Mandatory ROTC Bill.

"Kinausap ko na ang ating Majority Leader, Senator Joel Villanueva. Ang aking commitment kay Senator [Ronald] 'Bato' dela Rosa, who is the chairman and the sponsor of the ROTC bill, that this month of May, naka-table na 'yan araw-araw sa Senado," Zubiri said in an ambush interview after he accepted the rank of Lieutenant Colonel as a reserve officer of the Philippine Army.

(I already talked to our Majority Leader, Senator Joel Villanueva. My commitment to Senator 'Bato' dela Rosa, who is the chairman and the sponsor of the ROTC bill, that this month of May, that bill will be on the table every day in the Senate.)

"Kung meron po akong mga kasamahan na hindi sang-ayon sa ROTC, magboto na lang po sila. Ibigay na lang po nila ang boto nila kasi sa tingin ko mas marami po ang gusto ng ROTC dun sa Senado. So let's give the bill a chance. We'll vote on it. Whether it passes or not, but we will prioritize it this coming May before the sine die break," he added.

(If I have colleagues who are not in favor of ROTC, they should just vote. They should just cast their votes because I think many in the Senate are in favor of ROTC.)

Zubiri, who himself underwent the ROTC program, said he commissioned a Pulse Asia survey which showed that 77% of the respondents are in favor of reviving the mandatory ROTC program.

He explained that under the bill that they are pushing, there will be more safeguards against hazing, which he said is the "main problem" why many oppose the mandatory ROTC program.

The Senate chief added that the new ROTC program will not only focus on military training, but it will also include training for cybersecurity, engineering, and medical response.

"So it will enhance your skills...hindi na katulad natin...hindi na lamang po puro martsa," he said.

(It won't be the same as during our time. It won't be all marching.)

The Mandatory ROTC Bill (Senate Bill 2034), a priority measure of the Marcos administration, is currently pending on second reading in the Senate.

The last interpellation on Senate Bill 2034 was held last September 25, 2023.

Under the bill, the mandatory basic ROTC program will cover all students enrolled in not less than two-year undergraduate degree, diploma, or certificate programs in HEIs and TVIs. The program will be undertaken for four semesters.

Students who fail to undergo the ROTC program will not be qualified for graduation.

Educational institutions that fail to institute and implement basic ROTC will face disciplinary and administrative sanctions from the Commission on Higher Education and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

A specialized program will be crafted for students who are classified as persons with disabilities, those whose religious beliefs prohibit the use of firearms in rendering service to the country, and those who have been convicted by final judgment of crimes involving moral turpitude.

The Basic ROTC Program Curriculum will be crafted by the Department of National Defense, CHED, and TESDA in consultation with other relevant government agencies and private stakeholders, including associations of schools.

The mandatory ROTC program was scrapped in 2002 following the passage of Republic Act 9163, an act establishing the NSTP (National Service Training Program). —KG, GMA Integrated News