President Duterte has ordered authorities to ensure that the proposed revival of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program in schools would be free from corruption and other irregularities.
The President issued the directive after endorsing a bill reviving the military training program for Grades 11 and 12 students during a Cabinet meeting in Malacañang last Tuesday.
“It was abolished because of the corruption that prevailed during the 90s. That’s why the President wanted to sure there will be no corruption this time,” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a Filipino during a radio interview.
Andanar said the President approved the recommendation of the Department of National Defense on bringing back the ROTC program “with conditions.” He did not elaborate.
In the Cabinet assembly, Andanar said Defense Undersecretary Cesar Yano proposed the ROTC program to instill discipline and love of country among the youth. “Undersecretary Yano argued that today’s youth lack discipline, compared to the youth from the past,” he said.
The new measure seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7077 which made mandatory ROTC mandatory for college students. ROTC was made optional under the two-year National Service Training Program Act in 2001 in the wake of abuses and fatal hazing activities. (Genalyn D. Kabiling)