THE Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of National Defense (DND) have expressed support to the call of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to bring back the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program for senior high school students.
DND spokesperson Director Arsenio Andolong said the proposed revival of ROTC in senior high school will greatly enhance their efforts to orient and prepare the Filipino youth for national defense preparedness and disaster response.
PNP director for operations Major General Valeriano de Leon said disaster preparedness is also important among Filipinos, given that the country is frequently struck by typhoons, in addition to other natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
He said the ROTC will also provide information to the Filipino youth not only on how to defend themselves but also to protect their families and the country.
“These promote the level of leadership and discipline, as well as the patriotic attitude or character of every Filipino, so this is really welcome in my opinion,” De Leon said.
"These also foster volunteering among the Filipino youth, which is assisted by improvements in communication lines on the aspect of order execution from the top down to the last element in terms of rescue operations and protecting our country," he added.
During his first state of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, July 25, Marcos urged the Congress to pass a measure for the establishment of the Mandatory ROTC and National Service Training Program, which seeks to reinstitute the ROTC program as a mandatory component of senior high school programs in all public and private tertiary-level educational institutions.
Earlier, Department of Education Secretary Vice President Sara Duterte also expressed support for the ROTC revival. (SunStar Philippines)