Dela Rosa confident Senate will pass ROTC bill

Sen. Ronald Bato Dela Rosa (File photo from the Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)

MANILA, Philippines — While Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa was confident the Senate would pass the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) bill, he said on Tuesday it would only be by a “slim margin.”

“My own personal estimate is that we will win by a slim margin. If we will put the measure to a vote, I’m sure it will win, although only by a slim margin, not overwhelming. There will be a majority vote but the margin will be very slim,” Dela Rosa told reporters.

He made the statement after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri announced on Monday that the upper chamber would prioritize next month the deliberations on Senate Bill No. 2034.

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“We will vote on it. Whether it passes or not, we will prioritize it this coming May before the sine die break,” Zubiri said at the sidelines of the ceremony for his oath-taking and donning of rank as an Army reserve lieutenant colonel at the Armed Forces of the Philippines headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

According to Dela Rosa, he asked Zubiri to resume debates on the measure, which would make military training mandatory for students enrolled in colleges, universities and technical vocational institutions. The bill is currently on second reading in the Senate.

“I talked to the Senate President and asked if we can already tackle it, put the deliberations of the ROTC bill on our agenda so we can get a result, whether it will be approved or not. ROTC supporters have been asking me why the bill has not yet been approved,” he added.

WPS issue cited

“The Senate President is a patriot who realizes the significance of this measure in light of recent developments in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) wherein we as a threatened nation should be prepared for any eventuality,” Dela Rosa said.

As for his colleagues who were opposed to the bill, he expressed hope they would change their mind amid heightened tensions in the WPS.

“I have been trying to convince them and will continue to do so for the sake of our country,” Dela Rosa said, pointing out the need for the measure “with or without the WPS issue.”

“We really need it … how much more now that there is an impending threat in the WPS. There is no compromise for defense,” he added.

“ROTC has long been there, it’s not a new concept. [It] was already institutionalized long before you were born,” the senator said, addressing those who are against the measure.

“It is not an entirely new animal. It has been there since time immemorial … So I don’t think it should be shocking to them. And besides, all our neighboring countries have the same program,” he said.