Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

Twelfth Congress
First Regular Session

H. No. 2806

Introduced by REP. SULPICIO S. ROCO, JR., 2nd District, Camarines Sur

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution provides:

"The prime duty of the Government is to serve and protect the people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the State and, in fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render personal military or civil service."

Reviewing the history of this provision, the present Constitution makes the defense of the State more people-centered rather than national security-centered. Thus, military service is placed merely as one of the modes of serving and protecting the people.

Despite this, military training under the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) for students enrolled in colleges, universities and similar institutions of learning remains mandatory pursuant to the provisions of the National Defense Act (Commonwealth Act No. 1) and the Citizen Armed Forces of the Philippines Reservist Act (Republic Act No. 7077).

The program only serves as an added burden to our college students with no real benefits gained. Many of them attend the program only to comply with the requirements for graduation. ROTC cadets complain that they merely bathe themselves under the scorching heat.

Worse, the existing program encourages graft and corruption. Reports reaching DECS Central Office indicate that many ROTC officers engage in alleged corrupt practices such as commissions from military uniforms, kickbacks from the sale of soft drinks and sandwiches and grade-for-sale scams. The death of 18-year old Mark Wilson Chua was attributed to his expose of the corruption in the ROTC program in his school.

It also preserves inequality between men and women. The fundamental equality between men and women before the law cannot become meaningful should the program continue to be compulsory to "all male students enrolled in the initial baccalaureate degree programs" and merely optional to their female counterparts.

But the bill also recognizes the need of the Armed Forces to have a base for its expansion. The ROTC program is a fertile ground for AFP reservists. Thus, the attached bill does not abolish the ROTC. It merely makes the program optional for all college students regardless of gender and allows them to enroll in alternative courses with emphasis on civil service in lieu of the ROTC.

The bill is the updated version of S. No. 561 introduced by Senator Raul S. Roco in the Eleventh Congress.

In recognition of the supreme sacrifice of Mark Wilson Chua and the reforms he espoused, immediate approval of the attached bill is strongly recommended.

SULPICIO S. ROCO, JR.
2nd District, Camarines Sur