BBM OKs fast-tracking of MROTC bill
by Casandra A. Peñaverde
The administration of Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. is fast-tracking the passage of the Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (MROTC) bill, which will require college and vocational students to undergo military training and allow military personnel to enter campus premises.
Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino confirmed in an interview with DZBB Super Radyo that BBM has already given the go signal to speed up the passage of the said bill.
Tolentino shared that “the President said that it is urgent,” emphasizing that MROTC would prepare students for national defense and disaster response. He added that it would also help instill a “strong love for the country” among the youth amid rising tensions in the West Philippine Sea.
“As compared to China, we only have 107,000-strong reservists, some of them have aged already,” Tolentino argued.
In the same interview, Senate President Francis Escudero said the bill will be one of eight legislative priorities when Congress resumes on Nov. 4.
Progressive groups including UP formations have long opposed the bill, stressing it ais an attempt to militarize schools.
“Kung gusto talaga ng gobyerno na matuto ng nasyunalismo ang kabataan, i-encourage nila ang critical thinking sa mga estudyante. ‘Wag i-intimidate at atakihin ang mga progresibo, at lalong ‘wag manghimasok sa mga eskwelahan na zones of peace dapat. Bilyon-bilyon na naman ang iwawaldas diyan, na sana sa pag-iimprove na lang ng education system at student services ilaan,” a statement from UP Student Regent Francesca Duran read.
MROTC was abolished in 2001 after University of Santo Tomas student Mark Welson Chua was murdered for exposing corruption in the program, making the training only optional to colleges and universities to this day.
In 2017, then-President Rodrigo Duterte backed the Department of National Defense’s proposal to revive ROTC in senior high schools, resulting in the passage of new bills in 2018 and 2019.
