SENATOR Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa expressed disappointment over the apparent opposition from the Department of National Defense and the Armed Forces of the Philippines to the revival of mandatory ROTC at the tertiary level.

Dela Rosa said he cannot accept the DND and AFP’s reasoning that implementing mandatory ROTC fully, over three years, would require a budget of P27 billion.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. also argued that not all students who undergo ROTC should automatically become members of the reserve force because they would not be able to accommodate them all.

“If that’s our reasoning, we should forget about the program. Why prioritize funding for programs like AKAP over our defense? It’s a matter of prioritizing funds,” said Dela Rosa.

He also questioned the logic behind the idea that not all ROTC participants should be part of the reserve force.

“I don’t understand this. Where did they get this model? Why can’t we do it in the Philippines? We’re not even paying them salaries. Don’t we need Filipino reservists?” Dela Rosa asked.

He added that he doesn’t need to talk to Senate President Francis Chiz Escudero, who relayed the concerns of the DND and AFP, because he knows from the start that Escudero opposes mandatory ROTC.

Despite this, Dela Rosa remains confident he will secure enough votes for the proposal’s approval.