DepEd supports return of mandatory ROTC

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MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) is supporting the plans of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to require mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) for senior high students.

This is because the move “adheres to a core value of being nationalistic,” DepEd spokesman Michael Poa said Wednesday.

“The DepEd is in support of such measure to make ROTC mandatory, basically because it adheres to one of our core values of being makabansa (nationalistic),” he said in a press briefing.

However, Poa said Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte “feels the need” to discuss the proposal with Congress and the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) details.

“The more prudent thing to do is for me to reserve our comments, specially the comments of the Vice President Secretary and the DepEd, once a formal proposal has been filed either in Congress with, of course, inputs from the DepEd, other relevant agencies and Ched, Poa” added.

In his first State of the Nation Address, Marcos has called on Congress to pass a law mandating the ROTC program for senior high school students.

READ: Bongbong Marcos to Congress: Make ROTC mandatory in senior high school

It can be recalled that during the 2022 pre-campaign period, vice presidential aspirant Duterte said she would push for mandatory military service for all Filipinos reaching 18 — male or female.

In June, Duterte expressed her hope for mandatory ROTC to be included in the priority legislative agenda of the Marcos administration. —Andy Hoo, INQUIRER.net trainee

JMS/abc