In less than seven minutes, the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture on Wednesday passed a substitute bill mandating the institutionalization, development, training, organization, and administration of the basic Reserve Officers Training Corps in Grades 11 and 12 in public and private educational institutions.
The House panel, chaired by Cebu Rep. Ramon Durano VI, approved the unnumbered bill, which substituted House Bill 5113, in consolidation with House Bills 5097 and 8651.
“At this point, we need to take action on these said bills based on the policy of the Majority Leader and Speaker that all bills should be taken action upon and the committee should never have any pending bills, local or national, in scope,” Durano said before his panel approved the bill.
House Deputy Speaker and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu, principal author of HB 5113, moved for the approval of the measure, which calls for the establishment of a two-year basic ROTC program for students enrolled in Grade 11 and 12, who shall form part of the basic curricula for the senior high school education in any public and private educational institutions.
It seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 7077 or the “Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act.”
“The ROTC training is aimed to instill patriotism, love of country, moral and spiritual virtues, respect for human rights, and adherence to the Constitution,” the authors of the bill said.
Aside from Abu, Iloilo Rep. Raul “Boboy” Tupas and Nueva Ecija Rep. Micaela Violago are bill’s principal authors.
Under the bill, any student who fails to undergo the mandatory basic ROTC in accordance with the proposed ROTC Act shall not be qualified for graduation.
The non-taking of basic ROTC by any student shall be a ground for compulsory military training in pursuance to Section 14 of the Republic Act 7077, according to the bill.
It also provides that any educational institution that fails to institute and implement the ROTC program shall be subject to disciplinary and administrative sanctions as the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority may impose.
“If implemented efficiently, it would have the potential to produce an entire generation of young Filipinos who will be proud of their Filipino heritage and are ready to give the entirety of their being to serve their countrymen, to defend the State at all cost,” Abu said.
“The inculcation of the spirit of nationalism, nation-building, and national preparedness among the country’s population is vital to nation’s survival,” he said. (Charissa L. Atienza)