SENATE deputy minority leader Risa Hontiveros yesterday said making the proposed Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program mandatory deprives a student the choice on how to express his or her love for the country.
Hontiveros issued the statement after a Pulse Asia survey commissioned by the office of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian showed that 78 percent of Filipinos “agree” to the proposed revival of the ROTC program for college students.
Hontiveros said she is not against the ROTC program per se, but it should not limit the choices of students to enroll in some other program equivalent to the ROTC.
She said the survey could not have been the sentiments of the youth, but only of the “general population.”
Instead of focusing on the mandatory ROTC program, she said it would be best for now if lawmakers trained their sights on how to recover the students’ “learning losses” due to the effects of the pandemic.
“During these times, there is a need for broader programs in serving the country, and not only talk about military matters, law enforcement, and disaster response,” Hontiveros said.
