SENATOR Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa on Tuesday said that once the measure making the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program mandatory becomes law, female colleges students will also be covered.

Dela Rosa was confident that the Senate will pass the ROTC measure by the first quarter of 2023.

He said that male and female students will train together. The training will not only include military and combat drills but also disaster preparedness and civil defense, among others.

“Dahil ang pagmamahal sa bayan, hindi lang naman ito limited sa lalaki o babae. Gusto n’yo gender equality, ayaw ninyo maging weaker sex ang women. Mahalin natin ang ating bansa. So sama tayo dito. Hindi lang naman lalaki ang tinatamaan ng bala, babae rin naman ang tinatamaan ng kalaban so kailangan natin depensahan ang ating bansa,” the senator said.

In Tuesday’s Senate hearing, the Commission on Higher Education presented a cosensus bill that seeks to address issues or concerns raised by stakeholders.

CHED Director IV Spocky Farolan said there should be two-year mandatory National Citizens Service Training Program which includes individual survivorship, civic duty, community emergency disaster response and citizen soldier training.

There will also be an optional four-year ROTC program for students who want to become officers for the regular and reserved force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Dela Rosa said the Senate committee will convene a technical working group to discuss further how to consolidate the different versions of the bills.