Militant students oppose ROTC revival

A militant youth group on Wednesday vowed to oppose efforts by the military to revive the Reserve Officers Training Course (ROTC) as it could bring back problems previously associated with the college course. The League of Filipino Students (LFS) said the military’s plan to make the ROTC mandatory again for male college students might revive problems of corruption and physical abuse that led to the abolition of the course eight years ago. "These are problems would surely return, because it is the ROTC as an institution that is the problem, and not merely the persons running it," LFS national chairperson Terry Ridon said in a statement on Wednesday. Ridon added that reviving the ROTC would only be “a step backwards in the mind of the youth" because the current National Service Training Program (NSTP) has been “effectively" serving the purpose of training students for community service. “The NSTP, in almost a decade’s implementation, had been very effective in pursuing its statutory purpose of allowing college students to choose how best to train themselves and render public service. If it ain’t broke, why fix it?" he said. The military said on Tuesday that it is planning to recommend to Congress the passing of a law to revive the ROTC, which they said was “vital" in providing reserved forces that can be readily mobilized in case of emergencies. The group however said it will lobby against the ROTC’s revival in Congress should the Armed Forces submit a recommendation for ROTC’s revival. The ROTC program, introduced to the Philippines during American colonial rule, was made optional in 2002 following the death of University of Sto. Tomas (UST) student Mark Chua. Chua was allegedly killed by his course advisers whom he reportedly exposed for mismanagement of funds. –VVP, GMANews.TV