Querubin to push for ROTC revival if elected senator in Eleksyon 2025

Retired Marine Colonel Ariel Querubin wants to reinstate the mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) amid the recent aggressions of China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). 

Querubin, a Medal of Valor awardee, said he would be pushing for the revival of the mandatory ROTC program if elected senator in the 2025 May elections. 

“Kung tayo ay papalarin, buhayin uli natin dahil ang ROTC kailangan natin ‘yan (If we would be elected, we will revive the ROTC, we need that),” Querubin told Super Radyo dzBB’s Ikaw Na Ba? Senatorial Interviews on Tuesday.

“Kasi ang magse-serve na core ng reserve mo 'yung ROTC na natrain mo na…Baguhin lang curriculum nila siguro…Kung ayaw nila na puro military, e di dagdagan nila ng disaster response, relief operations, ‘yung military maliit na lang pero we need the ROTC,” he said. 

(The trained ROTC personnel will serve are the core of the reserve force. We can change the curriculum. If they don't want it to just be on military training, we can add disaster response, relief operations.)

According to the retired military official, the Philippines should fight for its sovereignty over the WPS, citing the economic impact of the oil reserves in the area. 

He likewise called for higher budget for the Defense Department, saying the dispute in the WPS is a matter of preponderance of forces and counter-intelligence. 

“Dapat ipaglaban natin ang soverign rights natin sa WPS kasi pag na-harness, na-exploit natin ang mga resources ang economy natin gaganda,” he said. 

(We need to fight for our sovereign rights because if we harness the resources there, our economy will improve.)

The mandatory ROTC program was scrapped in 2002 following the passage of Republic Act 9163, which established the National Service Training Program (NSTP). This came after the March 2001 killing of University of Santo Tomas (UST) student Mark Chua, allegedly by his ROTC handlers after he had exposed corruption in the ROTC corps. 

In July 2022, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. proposed to reinstitute the ROTC and NSTP as mandatory for Grade 11 and 12 students in all public and private institutions.—AOL, GMA Integrated News

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