Tolentino ‘confident’ mandatory ROTC bill will get enough votes in Senate

Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino has expressed confidence that the proposed mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps bill will get enough votes in the upper chamber.

The lawmaker issued the remark as he attended the opening ceremony of the Philippine ROTC Games Mindanao qualifiers in Zamboanga City.

"I believe we have reached a level of support where the ROTC program will be revived. I'm quite confident," Tolentino was quoted in a statement as saying.

According to the lawmaker, the ROTC bill will be part of the agenda in the upcoming Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting, which is set on June 25.

The lawmaker explained that the bill is not prioritized due to the ongoing tensions in the West Philippine Sea.

"We are not preparing for war. Enacting this bill is timely and crucial for our national interest and future, with or without the conflict in WPS,” he said.

“The primary goal of the ROTC Bill is to encourage and develop discipline and a deep sense of nationalism among our youth,” he added.

Tolentino is among the authors of Senate Bill 2034 or the proposed ROTC Act.

In April, Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa expressed confidence that the upper chamber would approve the bill making ROTC mandatory, though only by a "slim margin."

SB 2034, a priority measure of the Marcos Administration, is currently 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 a 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). — BM, GMA Integrated News