Sinas: Mandatory ROTC to teach discipline to senior high school students

Police Brigadier General Debold Sinas | Delta Letigio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The revival of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is expected to teach discipline among senior high school students.

Police Brigadier Debold Sinas, director of the Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7),  said this will prepare the youth to face life’s challenges and the possible occurrence of disaster.

“I’m supportive of that (mandatory ROTC). That is how you develop internal discipline,” Sinas said in an interview this morning, May 21.

The House of Representatives on Monday passed on third and final reading a bill that will revive the mandatory ROTC for grades 11 and 12 students from both public and private schools.

The ROTC program includes lesson in patriotism and basic military and civic training. Graduates of the program will get a level one civil service eligibility.

Sinas said that the revival of the ROTC is expected to bring several benefits to the youth.

He said that the training will make it easier for the police and the local government units to rally for public support in rescue missions that will be organized in case of disasters.

With the ROTC, more civilians will also be made to undergo disaster risk reduction and management training, he said.

Sinas said that concerns on corruption within the system is something that legislators can look into and address.

“If there’s corruption, let’s blame the person not the system,” he said./dcb