KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel called on youth groups to oppose the National Citizens Service Training Bill which he claimed was a rebranded and deceptive version of the Mandatory Reserve Officer Training Corps program.

“A closer inspection of HB 6486 easily disproves the assertion of the bill’s proponents that it is just a benign combination of all National Service Training Program courses and ROTC,” Manuel said.

He cited Section 7 of the bill which specifically highlights “competencies in citizen soldier training” as a focus of its curriculum.

The NCST bill does not include any explicit exemptions.

Section 17 provides that ROTC cadets will serve as the instructors.

The bill also provides that graduates of the NCST program will be drafted as reserves of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“Indeed, from curriculum, instruction and objectives, this betrays the lack of real difference between the NCST and a reinstatement of mandatory ROTC,” Manuel said.

The Kabataan Party-list said that HB 6486 will most likely be used by state forces to infiltrate educational institutions to suppress the democratic rights of students to organize.

“We call on the youth and student sectors to voice their opposition using all democratic means such as mobilizations, political campaigns, educational discussions, and social media rallies,” the lawmaker said.