Former Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan, a senatorial aspirant in the 2019 mid-term election, on Thursday backed the return of the Reserved Officers Training Course.
At news conference in Quezon City, Alunan said even the programs for the Citizenship Advancement Training for high school students, and Girl Scout and Boy Scout for elementary pupils must be made mandatory.
“We support the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to revive the ROTC, and make the CAT, and Girl Scout and Boy Scout a mandatory requirement since they are all related to one another,” he told reporters.
Alunan added that Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is the right person to implement the return of the mandatory ROTC.
Alunan, a Cabinet secretary under the Ramos administration, is running for senator under the Bagumbayan party.
“Should I get elected, I will refile the bill bringing back the mandatory ROTC in college,” he said, adding that ROTC could help develop the youth's leadership skills, open their eyes to military science tactics, and instill in them patriotism and love for the country.
“Don’t prepare when the emergency is already there,” he said. “Readiness is the word here.”
The ROTC is currently offered as an optional program under the National Service Training Program in college.”‹