SONA 2022: Marcos Pushes for Mandatory ROTC in Senior High

Both in public and private schools.

by Pia Regalado

Photo/s: UP Diliman ROTC

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address Monday pushed for the revival the mandatory military training or ROTC in senior high school.

Marcos told lawmakers he favored the Reserve Officer Training Corps as a requirement for Grades 11 and 12 students in all public and private schools. "ROTC" trended on Twitter with more than 1,500 tweets as of 5:40 p.m.

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"The aim is to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize students for national defense preparedness, including disaster preparedness and capacity building for risk-related situation," he said during his first State of the Nation Address.

Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also education secretary, earlier said she would push for mandatory military service for Filipinos aged 18.

Under current laws, students can choose between Reserve Officer Training Corps or ROTC and civic welfare training.

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