Youth groups slam NCSTP-ROTC bill

Students protest the bill proposing the “National Citizens Service Training Program Act”. (Photo from the Facebook of League of Filipino Students)

MANILA, Philippines — Several youth groups have expressed their opposition to House Bill (HB) 6687, which would mandate a National Citizens Service Training Service Program (NCSTP) in higher education institutions, as well as making Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) optional.   

 On Thursday, the bill was approved at the House of Representatives, with a vote of 276-4.

Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (SPARK) national coordinator John Lazaro said the bill is “a classic case of passing the buck.” 

“The lawmakers intend to mobilize the youth for large-scale community service and disaster response operations when the lack of disaster prevention and mitigation is enabled if not created by the government itself,” Lazaro said. 

SPARK has also submitted its position paper to Congress, arguing that “even if the government mobilizes its NCST graduates in every national and local emergency, contingencies, and disaster, this will not resolve the country’s problem on a bigger scale.”

The Kabataan party-list pointed out that the passing of the bill showed that President Ferdinand Marcos’ administration did not prioritize public interest after the president marked HB 6687 as a priority bill.  

 “Malinaw sa pag-certify as urgent ng NCST bill at ng Maharlika Wealth Fund Bill na hindi ganap at walang pakialam ang Marcos Jr. administration sa tunay na kalagayan at krisis na nararanasan ng taumbayan na dapat una nilang tinutugunan. Matagal na nating sinsusulong ang Safe School Reopening Bill, Student Aid Bill, National Minimum Wage Bill at iba pa ngunit hindi ito pinansin ng administrasyon,” the group said in a Facebook post.

(It is clear that by certifying the NCST Bill and the Maharlika Wealth Fund Bill as urgent, the Marcos Jr. administration does not care about the status and crisis that the people experience. We have long been pushing for the Safe School Reopening Bill, Student Aid Bill, National Minimum Wage Bill, and others, but the administration did not attend to it.)

 The League of Filipino Students, Anakbayan, and other youth groups took to the streets on Thursday to voice their dissent, slamming campus militarization. 

 While the bill has made ROTC optional, the NCSTP would serve a similar purpose, mandating that students undergo cadet training for 240 hours within the first two years of tertiary education.

The ROTC component would be four years for those who want to join the regular or reserve force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. 

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  gsg