THE COMMISSION on Higher Education fully supports the implementation of mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program for senior high school students.

CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III said the commission has prepared a plan on the revision of the National Service Training Program as it may be affected with the adoption of a mandatory ROTC.

“100 percent support ang CHED sa statement ng Pangulo. Matagal na namin pinag-aralan ito. In fact, four years ago, meron na kaming plano o nakahanda na kung ano ang revision na mangyayari sa NSTP kapag nagkaroon ng ROTC for senior high,” De Vera said.

He said that the present optional two-year training at the university level would be changed into an “advanced ROTC program” if ROTC were to become mandatory for senior high school students.

“Mayroon kaming handa na na proposal, anytime puwede naming ibigay sa Pangulo o sa Kongreso na ‘yung 2-year program ng ROTC sa university level ay mako-convert into a certificate or a diploma program,” De Vera said.

He added that CHED has refined its proposal, which includes the suggested curriculum for the diploma program.

The course will have a strong emphasis on disaster management and be “heavily skills-based.”