AMID the worsening situation in the West Philippine Sea, Senator Ronald Bato dela Rosa reiterated the need for the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps for tertiary students.

The senator said the country needs to prepare for any eventuality, including the training of our younger generation.

At the same time, Dela Rosa expressed optimism that more senators would vote in favor of the mandatory ROTC bill once it was tackled in the Senate plenary.

At present, the senator said they are now conducting a period of interpellation for the bill.

“Sabi ni Senate Majority Leader Francis Tolentino, ipapriority na ang bill sa pagbalik sa third regular session,” Dela Rosa said.

The bill shall only include students from higher educational and technical-vocational institutions who will be required to undergo basic military and police training to motivate, train, organize, and use them for national defense preparedness or civil-military operations, and law enforcement.

The ROTC bill is among the priority measures of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.