Press Release
December 5, 2022

Gatchalian bill seeks to restore ROTC in college

Senator Win Gatchalian has filed a bill that seeks to reinstitutionalize the two-year mandatory Basic Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Program and the two-year voluntary Advance ROTC Program at the tertiary level.

Senate Bill No. 1551 or the Mandatory Basic Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Act covers all students enrolled in any undergraduate degree, diploma, or certificate program in all public and private universities, colleges, vocational schools, and other tertiary educational institutions.

Under the Basic ROTC program, students at the tertiary level shall undergo basic military and leadership training. This is to enhance the capacity of the nation and expand its human resource in times of war, calamities and disasters, and national or local emergencies. Aside from military training, the Basic ROTC program will cover civic training and enhanced preparedness during actual disaster response operations.

Gatchalian pointed out that restoring Basic ROTC at the tertiary level instead of Senior High School is more viable. He pointed out that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in learning loss, learning recovery should be the priority of the basic education sector. Since the K to 12 curriculum is being streamlined, adding the Basic ROTC Program to Senior High School will be counterproductive, said Gatchalian, who withdrew his earlier bill entitled Senior High School Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Act (Senate Bill No. 387).

Gatchalian also pointed to the cost implication of implementing Basic ROTC in Senior High School. The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of National Defense (DND) estimated that implementing basic ROTC on a national scale would cost P9.3 billion, an undesirable cost since the country is still recovering from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Implementing the Basic ROTC program in the tertiary level will still capture a substantial number of Senior High School graduates who shall eventually be enlisted in the Reserve Force, Gatchalian said. He pointed out that in the past four years, on average, about 81% of Senior High School graduates proceeded to enroll in college.

"Isinusulong natin ang pagbabalik ng Basic ROTC upang ituro sa ating mga kabataan ang disiplina at pagmamahal sa ating bansa, lalo na't sila ang mamumuno sa bansa balang araw," said Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.


Pagbabalik ng ROTC sa kolehiyo isinusulong ni Gatchalian

Naghain si Senador Win Gatchalian ng isang panukalang batas na layong ibalik ang dalawang taong mandatory Basic Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Program at ang Two-year voluntary Advance ROTC Program sa kolehiyo.

Saklaw ng Senate Bill No. 1551 o ng Mandatory Basic Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Act ang lahat ng mga mag-aaral na kumuha ng undergraduate degree, diploma, o certificate program sa lahat ng pampubliko at pribadong mga pamantasan, kolehiyo, vocational schools, at iba pang mga tertiary educational institutions.

Sa ilalim ng Basic ROTC program, ang mga mag-aaral sa kolehiyo ay dadaan sa basic military at leadership training. Ito ay upang paigtingin ang kakayahan ng bansa na rumesponde sa panahon ng digmaan, sakuna, at mga kalamidad. Maliban sa military training, magiging bahagi rin ng Basic ROTC ang civic training at mas maigting na paghahanda sa pagresponde sa kalamidad.

Ayon kay Gatchalian, mas mainam na ibalik ang Basic ROTC sa kolehiyo imbes na ipatupad ito sa Senior High School. Aniya, mas kailangan kasing tutukan ang learning recovery sa basic education lalo na't nakaranas ang mga mag-aaral ng learning loss dahil sa pandemya ng COVID-19. Sabi pa ni Gatchalian, ang pagdagdag ng Basic ROTC sa Senior High School ay salungat sa ginagawang pagrepaso sa K to 12 curriculum, kaya binawi ng mambabatas ang nauna na niyang panukalang ROTC sa high school.

Pinuna rin ni Gatchalian ang magiging gastos sa pagpapatupad ng Basic ROTC sa Senior High School. Tinataya ng Department of Education (DepEd) at Department of National Defense (DND) na kakailanganin ang mahigit siyam (9.3) na bilyong piso para sa pagpapatupad ng programa sa buong bansa, isang napakalaking halaga sa gitna ng paahon pa lamang na ekonomiya mula sa pandemya ng COVID-19.

Kung ipapatupad naman ang Basic ROTC sa kolehiyo, sasailalim pa rin sa programa ang malaking porsyento ng Senior High School graduates upang maging bahagi ng Reserve Force, ani Gatchalian. Binigyang diin niya na nitong nakaraang apat na taon, 81% ang average ng mga Senior High School graduates na nagpatuloy sa kolehiyo.

"Isinusulong natin ang pagbabalik ng Basic ROTC upang ituro sa ating mga kabataan ang disiplina at pagmamahal sa ating bansa, lalo na't sila ang mamumuno sa bansa balang araw," ani Gatchalian, Chairman ng Senate Committee on Basic Education.

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