Philippine Army (PA) commander, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., said they would professionalize their pool trainers to prevent possible abuses should the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) be implemented among senior high school students.
"We will address the possible abuses by professionalizing our pool of trainers and enhancing the capacity of the Reserve Command of the Philippine Army," Brawner said in a message Tuesday.
Brawner also called the proposal for legislation calling for mandatory ROTC "a very important and urgent legislative agenda."
"This will provide the country with a trained and competent reserve force, which is very important in the defense of our country, following the lessons that we are learning from the Russia-Ukraine conflict. This will also develop a sense of patriotism in our youth," he said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) likewise expressed support for the measure, saying it would help boost the country's disaster response capability.
PNP director for operations, Maj. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, said the training under the measure would equip young Filipinos with adequate skills in defending themselves and the country as a whole.
"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. These also foster volunteering among the Filipino young, 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 said.
In his first State of the Nation Address on Monday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. emphasized the need to renew the ROTC program as a mandatory component of senior high school programs (Grades 11 and 12) in all public and private tertiary-level educational institutions.
"The aim is to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize the students for national defense preparedness, including disaster preparedness and capacity building for risk-related situations," he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
