By Juliane Judilla
Youth party-list Kabataan filed a resolution before the House of Representatives in Quezon City on March 18, opposing the reinstatement of the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.
The resolution, titled “Resolution Opposing the Mandatory Reinstatement of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Program in Light of Continuing Abuses and Violations of Students’ Rights, and Calling on the Appropriate House Committees to Investigate the Implementation of the ROTC Program in Aid of Legislation,” was filed by Rep. Raoul Manuel, together with the Justice for Mark Welson Chua Network.
The filing marks the 24th anniversary of the death of Mark Welson Chua, a University of Santo Tomas (UST) ROTC cadet who exposed corruption, bribery and extortion within the program.
Chua’s body was found wrapped in a carpet and floating in the Pasig River near Jones Bridge on March 18, 2001.
The resolution cites multiple cases of abuse, including hazing, physical and verbal violence, red-tagging, and unfair grading, which reportedly continue to occur as recently as early 2025.
Kabataan noted that despite the passage of the NSTP Act of 2001, these abuses remain prevalent and unresolved.
The group also emphasized that proposals to reintroduce mandatory ROTC at various levels of education persisted under the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte and continue under the current Marcos Jr. administration.
The resolution alleges that in some universities, the ROTC program has been weaponized by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to coerce cadet enrollment and expand the student intelligence network.
It also cited a 2023 survey conducted by the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP), which showed that among 20,461 student respondents, 53% opposed the reinstatement of mandatory ROTC, 28% supported it, and 19% were undecided.
The survey concluded that reinstating mandatory ROTC “in whatever form or guise” without addressing longstanding issues of abuse contradicts the state’s constitutional duty to protect the youth from harm.
The resolution further urges the House to pass House Bill 6687, or the NCST Bill, which seeks to establish a National Citizens Service Training (NCST) program in all public and private higher education institutions.
The bill was filed in 2022.
