SENATOR Francis Tolentino stressed that aside from providing a pathway for the youth to join the military service, whether as an active member or reservist, the Reserve Officers Training Corps has become a legitimate training ground for developing athletes for the national pool through the ROTC Games.

The Philippine Sports Commission, according to National Sports Association Affairs Head Anna Ruiz, now considers the ROTC Games as a third venue for scouting and recruiting potential athletes, aside from Palarong Pambansang and the Filipino Youth Games or Batang Pinoy.

“In this year’s ROTC Games, we saw prospective athletes in target shooting, as well as boxing and kickboxing,” Ruiz said.

A total of 1,115 cadet-athletes from 151 universities joined this year’s national championships, which featured 14 different sports, according to Commission on Higher Education Executive Director Atty. Cinderella Jaro.

“The increasing participation of students and universities in the games is a reflection of growing support for the ROTC program nationwide,” Jaro stressed.

The national championships were opened by the Miss ROTC national finals, whose winners were crowned in Tagaytay City last August 17.

The PH ROTC Games is a joint initiative of Senator Tolentino, CHED, PSC, and the AFP. CVSU, headed by its president, Dr. Hernando Robles, served as this year’s host for the Luzon leg and the national championships.