Duterte Approves Mandatory ROTC Senior High

By Ver Marcelo, CNN Philippines

Updated 07:46 AM PHT Wed, February 8, 2017

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) President Rodrigo Duterte approved the restoration of the Reserved
Officers Training Corps (ROTC) for Grades 11 and 12 in public and private schools nationwide.

In a Facebook post, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piol said the President approved the mandatory
ROTC after thorough discussion with members of the Cabinet on Tuesday.

He said the proposal "will now be forwarded to Congress and Senate and certified as urgent by
President Duterte."

Piol said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana presented an amendment for Republic Act 7077 or the
"Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act to make ROTC mandatory.

The Agriculture Secretary also quoted Lorenzana, saying that "ROTC instills patriotism, love of country,
moral and spiritual values, respect for human rights and adherence to Constitution."

Piol said the Anti-Hazing Law will be strictly implemented to "avoid hazing deaths" and will be one of
the measures to safeguard the mandatory ROTC.

The implementation of mandatory ROTC stopped in 2001 when University of Santo Tomas student and
ROTC member Mark Welson Chua was found dead after exposing the alleged corruption in his unit.

The ROTC has since been offered as an optional program under the National Service Training Program
(NSTP) through Republic Act 9163.

Other components of NSTP include the Civic Welfare Training Service, which requires students to
participate in community service programs, and the Literary Training Service, which allows students to
teach basic skills in public schools.

Ver Marcelo President Rodrigo R. Duterte Delfin Lorenzana K-12 program K-to-12 program