COMMITTEE ON HIGHER, TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION

SUBCOMMITTEE ON THE REVITALIZED RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS ACT
NOVEMBER 29, 2022

OPENING STATEMENT

Good morning, everyone.

In times of distress, it is but normal for us to expect the worse to come--we are humans, after all. The same goes for times of uncertainty, of war, or at least rumors of it, including natural disasters, calamities, and other unpredictable events that push our country to its brink of panic. All these events call for our preparedness.

Miguel De Cervantes, a Spanish Novelist stated: "To be prepared is half the victory". I take this opportunity to ask my fellow citizens, do we not feel the threat to our nation brought about by devastating natural disasters? Do not the continued reclamation and expanded constructions in the West Philippine Sea bother you? The demand for our readiness comes in all forms, and it is staring us right in the face. The question is, how do we respond to all of this?

Today, we will tackle bills that propose the reinstitution of the ROTC Program and/ or the Citizen Service Training Course (CSTC) as a mandatory component in the public and private tertiary-level educational institutions.

As we come to discuss in detail the positions of each significant agency, we will see the benefits that these measures hold for the future of our country. This is to address the possibility that when there is a threat, whether natural or man-made, and I'm certain they will come, we will be ready--not just the government, but the whole nation.

Indeed, to be prepared is already one-half of winning the battle. In this regard, I could say that this is one of the purposes of the Senate--to aid in equipping our people with the necessary skills for the protection and preservation of life. We want the confidence to say that whatever the trials may be, we can always rely on one another as brothers and sisters of this Republic. If I may leave you with another quote, this time from John Wooden: "Confidence comes from being prepared." Mga kababayan, hindi natin alam kung ano ang mangyayari sa atin sa mga darating na panahon. Ngunit ang natitiyak ko ay walang ibang magpapahalaga at magmamahal sa ating bayan kundi tayo rin.

As the Chair of this Sub-committee, I look forward to everyone's positions, comments, and suggestions on the bills to be considered. Moreover, I anticipate that as we work together, we will build a better future for our children and our communities.

Before I end, I would like to thank the chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, Senator Chiz Escudero for designating me as the Subcommittee Chairman to tackle all these ROTC bills.

Maraming salamat and magandang umaga again sa ating lahat.