KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel on Wednesday said that the result of the survey of the Catholic Educators Association of the Philippines reflect the true opinion of the youth on Mandatory Reserved Officers Training Corps.

The survey revealed that 53 percent of respondent students from Catholic schools are opposed to the mandatory ROTC, with 32 percent expressing strong disagreement.

Only 28 percent agreed to the proposal, while 19 percent were undecided.

“We laud CEAP for taking the initiative in asking their students, the majority stakeholder standing to bear the greatest impact from mandatory ROTC, something that promoters of the said policy failed to do in the last 10 months of Congress sessions. For sure if they dare survey students themselves in other universities, the results would be the same resounding rejection of the bloody, anti-poor mandatory ROTC,” Manuel said.

“if they are not rattled by this survey, we implore fellow legislators in the Senate to try talking to your children. Ask them, do they agree with this policy? Ask yourselves, would you want them to undergo this program without consent?” he added.

“Ang kabataan ang kinabukasan ng ating bayan and they shouldn’t be ignored on this issue. As genuine representatives of the people, let us listen and stand with the youth,” the lawmaker said.

The group maintained that mandatory ROTC is not the solution to the education crisis. The group warned it will spell campus militarization, added fees and load to students, institutionalized violence and abuse, and the deprivation of students’ right to freely choose how they can serve the nation.

The Kabataan party-list filed the Expanded National Service Training Program bill as an alternative to the mandatory ROTC measure.