SENATE President Francis Escudero yesterday said the government will need more than P27 billion to fully implement the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps program once it becomes a law.
Based on the fund requirement submitted by the Department of National Defense to the Senate, Escudero said once the mandatory ROTC program is implemented by 2025, it will need an initial funding of P5.2 million and P5.326 billion in 2026.
He said P5.648 billion will be needed in 2027, P8.072 billion in 2028, and another P8.072 billion in 2029, for a total of P27,124,362,930.40.
He said it would be “tough” for the Senate to pass the proposed measure since the budget can be used by state universities and colleges, and by the Department of Health, among other agencies in need of additional funds.
He said he is unsure if the mandatory ROTC program can be funded next year.
“One question here is, do we have P8 billion [a year] for that ROTC program? Because I’m sure that P8 billion will go a long way for other agencies and should this be given priority by Congress? Congress, in the exercise of its wisdom, shall decide on this matter in regard to the 2025 budget,” he said.
Escudero has been opposed to the mandatory ROTC since the program is offered as an alternative subject in the National Service Training Program for college students.
Senate majority leader Francis Tolentino earlier said that Malacanang had given the green light to prioritize the passage of the measure.
Escudero assured that he would not block the passage of the measure in the Senate. The Committee on National Defense has already come up with a committee report on the proposed measure and is being deliberated in the plenary.
A counterpart measure was passed on final reading at the House of Representatives last May.
He said funding more than P27 billion for the program may not be wise considering the limited financial capacity of the government.
“You have to understand government is actually about allocating scarce resources, if we are able to allocate scarce resources then we governed properly. Allocating scarce resources means prioritizing certain budget expenditures over others. That will be weighed, decided upon not only by the Senate but the House of Representatives, as well,” he said.
