MANILA — Student leaders from several Philippine universities on Wednesday called on the govemrnent to reconsider its plan to bring back mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in schools.

Benhur Queqquegan, vice president of the Sentral na Konseho ng mga Mag-aaral at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, said ROTC would only be a financial burden to students and waste taxpayers' money.

"Ang mandatory ROTC na ito ay magdadagdag lang ng mga gastos sa mga estudyante at magulang. Mula sa gastos para sa inaasahang uniporme, gears, pagkain, pamasahe at ultimo nga iyon dagdag-tuition fee at school fees," he said in a press conference.

(Mandatory ROTC would only be a financial burden to students and parents, from spending on the expected uniform, gears, food, transport and even the additional tuition and school fees.)

"Higit pa rito, talagang tinututulan natin ang mandatory ROTC dahil sasayangin lamang nito ang pondo ng bayan," he added.

(More than this, we really oppose this mandatory ROTC because it will be a waste of public funds.)

Joshua Philip Contado from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Central Student Council lamented that many seemed to have forgotten about the case of Mark Welson Chua.

A UST student, Chua was allegedly killed by fellow ROTC officers for exposing corruption in the program. His death paved the way for legislation that made military training optional in higher education.

"Iyong exposition na ginawa ni Mark Welson Chua showed us the culture of violence and corruption of this program. And we must never forget that," Contado said.

(This exposition that Mark Welson Chua did showed us the culture of violence and corruption of this program. And we must never forget that.)

For the student council officers and representatives, the government should prioritize providing facilities to schools and ensuring safety in the resumption of in-person classes.

TJ Alcantara from the Ateneo de Manila University, meanwhile, called for the strengthening of the National Service Training Program.

Lance Avery Alo, lead convenor of the No to Mandatory ROTC Network, said his group plans to hold dialogues with lawmakers, school administrations and civil society groups to further lobby their calls against mandatory ROTC.

In his first State of the Nation Address last July, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the military training program should be a requirement for Grades 11 and 12 students, calling on Congress to make it a priority measure.

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