(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, Nov. 22, reiterated his call for the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program to be mandatory for Grades 11 and 12 students in the country.
Duterte made the pitch during the 15th Army Reserve Command Founding Anniversary at the General Mariano Diego de Dios camp in Tanza, Cavite, noting the “lack of patriotism” of the “next Filipino.”
“May iba papasok for love of country..but ilan lang?Ilan lang papasok ng ganitong trabaho..Pagkatapos ninyo, sino?Wala na. Kaya kailangan ibalik ang ROTC,” he said, to applause from the audience.
According to Duterte, it wasn’t that he wanted to make the children suffer.
“Para sa kanila yan. You have a duty to perform (for) your country when you grow up. It is your duty to defend the identity and the preservation of the republic,” he said.
As early as last year, Duterte approved a proposal for the program to be mandatory in public and private schools for submission to Congress.
The ROTC was made optional in 2002, following the killing of Mark Chua, a University of Sto. Tomas student, allegedly by ROTC officers, after he exposed fund mismanagement.