SA muling pagpapahayag ng suporta para sa pagpapatupad ng mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) para sa mga senior high school students, sinabi ng Philippine Army’s 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division na malaking adbentahe ang programa para sa pamahalaan.

Sinabi ni 3rd Division Public Affairs Office (DPAO) chief, Capt. Cenon Pancito, na makasisiguro ang publiko na ang pagsasanay na pang-militar sa ROTC program ay kukuhanin ng mga kaalyado ng pamahalaan.

“The ROTC might be used against the government but we want to emphasize the program is being undertaken by no less than our troops,” pahayag ni Pancito sa isang panayam.

Ayon sa kanya, may ibang samahan na nais subukang gamitin ang pagsasanay bilang bahagi ng “vulnerabilities” ng ROTC program.

“If there are efforts from other organizations, most especially from the CPP-NPA (Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army), it is part of the vulnerabilities but the government is still on the advantage position with the Armed Forces of the Philippines being the implementer itself,” aniya.

Muli rin niyang binanggit na ang programa ay magbibigay ng kahandaan sa pamahalaan at sa puwersa ng militar sa panahon ng biglaan at krisis.

Ito ay dahil maaaring makuha ang mga produkto ng ROTC kung kailan sila kailangan. Dagdag pa ni Pancito hindi rin nila hahayaang mangyayari ang “hazing and maltreatment” sa ilalim ng will ROTC program.

“It’s very sad that hazing and maltreatment in the ROTC have been proven. However, it is just part of the picture. ROTC can do more good than harm,” aniya.

Upang maiwasang maulit muli ang hazing at maling pagtrato, kinakailangan aniya ng mas aktibong implementasyon ng batas na nakapaloob sa programa.

“We will work hard to prevent this from happening again. We will have all the people who will look over the program to really be serious about what they are doing or to implement additional steps to prevent hazing and maltreatment,” aniya.

Nanawagan din siya sa mga senior high school na sumailalim sa ROTC dahil “at the end of the day, they will appreciate its benefits.”

Layon ng House Bill 8961 na maamyendahan ang Republic Act 7077 o ang Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act.

Sa ilalim ng mungkahing batas, ipatutupad ang ROTC training sa “all students in Grades 11 and 12 in all senior high schools in public and private educational institutions.”