Former President Rodrigo Duterte is pushing for the return of basic military training for young Filipinos.
Duterte also said he “strongly supports” programs where the youth can learn basic handling of firearms to prepare them for any circumstances that the country may face in the future.
Duterte, in an ABS-CBN News report said, the Philippines should prepare itself in case the military or police force is rendered incapable of protecting the public.
Duterte, in an online interview uploaded on Sen. Francis Tolentino’s YouTube channel, said “most do not want to hold firearms,” noting people should learn the basics, such as placing a bullet to the gun’s chamber.
Vice President Sara Duterte, the former president’s daughter, who now heads the Department of Education (DepEd) earlier said that it would be better to implement the mandatory ROTC program at higher education levels.
Duterte further said if the military or police are not present, civilians should learn to use guns, adding that there should be basic training and that young Filipinos should undergo a mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) to also learn what to do during “nuclear or dynamite”
explosions.
He noted that there might come a time when the public would need to take up arms to survive.
“What if the world is on fire, how do you react? What you should do? You can only get it from basic military training,” Duterte, quoted by ABS-CBN, further said.
Duterte also said “whatever explosion whether it could nuclear or dynamite,” what is important is that “we all know what to do, where to run.”
The former president also said a mandatory ROTC course can also help instill patriotism among Filipinos.
Duterte has been vocal about his “love” for the Philippines despite forging closer ties with China amid its continued incursions in the West Philippine Sea.
He further said ROTC is “connected to patriotism.”
The former President added that Filipinos should not be wary of the kind of discipline being instilled during ROTC classes, saying that these are parts of the military discipline that the youth has to learn. “To put it simply, it is just to have to obey,” Duterte said, noting that the ROTC training is held only every Saturday.