Senators Sherwin Gatchalian and Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Friday renewed their call for the revival of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) following strong support among Filipinos, as shown in a survey conducted by Pulse Asia from Dec. 3 to 7 last year.

Gatchalian, co-author and co-sponsor of Senate Bill 2034, or the ROTC Act, noted that ROTC’s revival got a 79 percent from Mindanao; 74 percent in the Visayas; 67 percent from the National Capital Region; and 63 percent from Balance Luzon.

“Muli, nakita nating malinaw ang boses ng ating mga kababayan pagdating sa panukalang ipatupad ang (Again, we saw the clear voice of our countrymen when it comes to the measure seeking to implement) ROTC,” he said in a news release.

Gatchalian cited another survey he commissioned in March 2023, which showed that 78 percent of the respondents nationwide favor the implementation of ROTC at the tertiary level.

A priority measure of the Marcos administration, the proposed ROTC Act aims to institutionalize mandatory Basic ROTC in Higher Education Institutions and Technical Vocational Institutions for students enrolled in undergraduate programs of at least two years.

“Naniniwala ako na sa pamamagitan ng programang ito, matuturuan natin ang ating mga kabataang maging disiplinado at matatag, lalo na sa gitna ng mga hamong kinakaharap ng ating bansa pagdating sa seguridad (I believe that through this program, we can teach our youth to be disciplined and resilient, especially amid the challenges that the country currently faces when it comes to security),” Gatchalian said.

Meanwhile, Dela Rosa, the principal sponsor of the measure, expressed optimism that the bill would be approved by the Senate after Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s commitment to prioritize it when Congress resumes session on April 29.

“My own personal estimate is that we will win by (a) slim margin,” he said in a phone interview with reporters.

“Kinausap ko si Senate president na sana ma-calendar na ‘yan pagbalik namin para may resulta na, whether gusto man natin o hindi. Kasi ako ang kinukulit ng taumbayan at ng mga pro-ROTC (I talked to the Senate President to calendar the bill when we resume so we can have results, whether we want it or not. Because the people and the pro-ROTC groups have been asking me).”

Dela Rosa said he is “hopeful” that the mandatory ROTC bill would be approved before President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July. (PNA)