Partido Reporma senatorial candidate Guillermo Eleazar on Friday urged the government to prioritize the modernization of the military and the police instead of pushing for a mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC).

This is to prepare for a possible scenario where the Philippines is faced with a national security threat like what happened to Ukraine, he said in a statement.

“Sa ngayon (for now), we don’t have the facilities, we don’t have the capabilities to do that kaya sa tingin ko ay mas mainam na hayaan na muna natin na ma-improve ang (the way I see it, it would be much better for us to improve the) existing armed forces which is the AFP and the PNP),” he added.

However, Eleazar clarified that he supports optional ROTC which is currently included in the National Service Training Program (NSTP) of college students, noting that it is important in training the youth for national defense preparedness.

The AFP is now on the second phase or “Horizon” of the Revised Modernization Program where President Duterte allotted about PHP300 billion for the procurement of various military assets and upgrading of the troops’ capabilities.

Meanwhile, the PNP Revitalization and Capability Enhancement Act was filed by Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa last year which sought to allocate PHP20 billion each for the modernization of the PNP in 2022 and 2023, and PHP11 billion each for the next eight years.

Calls for the reinstatement of the mandatory ROTC in the Philippines for students who will reach the legal age of 18 years old floated anew when Russia made a full-blown military invasion of Ukraine last month.

However, the Department of National Defense previously said that this will be hard to implement since there are no adequate facilities for the training of the youth, and it will require manpower and funds to accommodate all individuals who will reach the age of 18 every year.

Eleazar, meanwhile, said he supports measures to provide a fixed term for AFP and police chiefs, saying this will put an end to the revolving door system of these institutions.

The revolving door system refers to the quick change in an organization’s leadership where chiefs only serve for a short period of time.

Eleazar, who served as PNP for only six months, said a fixed term will ensure the continuity of the plans and programs of the PNP and AFP chiefs since they have enough time to see to it they are being implemented.

At present, the PNP and AFP chiefs are getting a replacement after they reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 years old.

In January, the Senate adopted House Bill 10521 last January which prescribes fixed terms for ranking officers of the AFP. (with Lloyd Caliwan/PNA)