QUEZON City, Philippines (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the return of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) in Grades 11 and 12 of all public and private schools in the Philippines.
President Duterte approved the measure during a Cabinet meeting. He certified it as a priority bill so that the appropriate law may be passed. The approval of the President was after a presentation done by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who proposed an amendment to Republic Act 7077 to make ROTC mandatory. He said that ROTC would instill patriotism, love of country, moral and spiritual values, respect for human rights and adherence to Constitution.
RA 7077 is the Act providing for the development, administration, organization, training, maintenance and utilization of the Citizen Armed Forces of The Armed Forces of the Philippines and for other purposes. It was promulgated on June 27, 1991.
This proposal, which will be certified as “urgent,” will now be forwarded to Congress and Senate.
The implementation of the mandatory ROTC was stopped in 2001. This was after a series of scandals, including the death of a Manila student due to hazing.
“President Rody Duterte has approved the return of the Reserved Officers Training Course in Grades 11 and 12 of the country’s public and private schools,” Agriculture secretary Emmanuel Piñol said.
