DND opposes ROTC graduates' automatic enlistment as reservists - Escudero

Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero said on Thursday that the Department of National Defense (DND) has proposed that students who undergo the mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program will not be automatically enlisted as reservists of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Escudero added that the DND projected that the ROTC program will cost P27 billion to run over a three-year period.

The Senate leader made the disclosure after a meeting with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and AFP chief of staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. on Wednesday where the measures related to the military and its operations were tackled.

"Ayon kay Secretary Teodoro, mahigit P8 bilyon ang kinakailangan para lubusang mapatupad ito kada taon at para lubusang mapatupad ito, ito'y magagawa lamang sa loob ng tatlong taon na mangangailangan ng P27 bilyon na kung susuriin natin o pag-aaralan, malaking ambag na ito halimbawa sa ating mga state universities and colleges imbes na nasa isang aspeto lamang," Escudero said.

(According to Secretary Teodoro, it would require approximately P8 billion annually to fully implement this, which can only be achieved within three years, requiring P27 billion in total. This would be a significant contribution, for instance, to our state universities and colleges rather than focusing on a single aspect.)

"Nais rin nila irekomenda na hindi raw dapat automatic papasok sa reserve ang mga ROTC dahil hindi nila kakayaning i-absorb. Ngayon pa nga lang daw sa ilalim ng NSTP (National Service Training Program) ay mahaba ang backlog nila sa pag-accommodate ng mga reserve na nag-a-apply," he added.

(They also recommend that ROTC finishers should not be automatically included in the reserve, as they will not be able to absorb them. In fact, even under the National Service Training Program, they already have a long backlog of reserve applicants.)

Escudero said he has yet to discuss the DND proposals with Senator Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa, the principal sponsor of the mandatory ROTC bill in the chamber.

"We will relay that to the committee and make sure that they take note of it and consider it during the period of amendments," Escudero said.

(We will communicate this information to the committee and ensure that they take note of it and consider it during the period of amendments.)

For Escudero, it "will be tough" to fund the mandatory ROTC program should the measure be enacted, as the P8 billion a year or the P27 billion for three years could be used for other priorities such as health and education.

Among the items that would need funding under the proposed mandatory ROTC program are combat boots, uniforms, allowances, stipends for the training officers, and other office supplies, among others.

"May budgetary requirements bago tayo maka-accommodate ng reserves... Hindi puwedeng porque naisipan ay gagawin na lamang agad natin, dapat dalhin natin hanggang sa dulo at sukdulan ika nga para makita kaya nga ba, puwede nga ba at dapat nga ba," Escudero said.

(We need to consider the budgetary requirements before we can accommodate our reserves... It's not feasible to just do something thoughtlessly and rush into it. We need to take it to the end and push it to the limits to see if we can, if we should, and if we must push for the measure.)

Despite these concerns and his personal position against mandatory ROTC, Escudero said that "it does not mean I will stifle its passage if the majority of the members are in favor of it."

Escudero thinks that the approval of the mandatory ROTC bill still has a chance in the Senate, but he noted that the Executive Branch is still reviewing the proposed measure amid concerns about its implementation.

Senate Bill 2034 is currently under the period of interpellation in the upper chamber.

Under the measure, the mandatory basic ROTC program will be imposed on all students enrolled in not less than two-year undergraduate degree, diploma, or certificate programs in higher education institutions and technical-vocational institutions. —VBL, GMA Integrated News