Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino is optimistic that the bill to make the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) mandatory for college students will soon pass. 

Tolentino, a principal author of Senate Bill No. 2034, believes there is ample support in the Senate for the bill’s approval.  The legislation seeks to make ROTC mandatory for two years among tertiary and vocational students in both public and private higher learning institutions.

“I believe we have reached a level of support where the ROTC program will be revived. I’m quite confident,” he said during the opening of the Philippine ROTC Games Mindanao qualifiers on June 23.

In 2002, the mandatory ROTC program was abolished via Republic Act No. 9163 following public outrage over the death of Mark Welson Chua, a student hazed by ROTC cadet officers. Student groups argued the ROTC program fostered a culture of violence and corruption.

Calls to keep the program optional have persisted in recent years. Notably, following the 2023 hazing death of Adamson University student John Matthew Salilig, several senators, including Senator Risa Hontiveros, renewed calls to scrap the mandatory ROTC bill. 

They argued the program’s flaws, particularly hazing, outweigh its benefits and that alternative ways to instill discipline and nationalism exist.

Nurturing future leaders through ROTC games, pageant

Tolentino, however, clarified the bill is about promoting discipline and nationalism among the youth, not preparing for conflict. 

“No, we are not preparing for war. Enacting this bill is timely and crucial for our national interest and future, with or without the conflict in the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Instead, Tolentino expressed confidence that future leaders will emerge with the help of the ROTC program, including events such as the ROTC Games and the Miss ROTC pageant. 

Now in its second year, the ROTC Games serve as a honing ground to develop the leadership skills, talents, and a strong sense of nationalism among the youth, he said.

The ROTC Games, currently underway in Mindanao, feature a variety of events such as swimming, basketball, and taekwondo.

Tolentino applauded Zamboanga City’s support for the event, saying, “I am confident that future leaders of our nation will emerge from the ranks of our cadet-athletes today.”

The Miss ROTC pageant recently concluded in the city, with Juliane Terece Claudete Faustino of the Philippine Navy crowned Miss ROTC-Mindanao 2024. 

The Luzon qualifiers of the ROTC Games will take place in Indang, Cavite, from July 28 to August 3, with the national championships from August 18-24 at the same venue.

Tolentino’s confidence in the bill’s passage follows its approval in the House of Representatives and its inclusion in the upcoming Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) meeting.

Recognizing a growing social media awareness of national issues among young Filipinos, the senator concluded by mentioning the option to volunteer for the ROTC program.