MANILA, Philippines — To provide a platform for Reserve Officers’ Training Corps cadets to compete in Olympic-level national sports events, three government agencies signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the 2023 Philippine ROTC Games (PRG).
With “Tibay at Galing ay Pagyamanin, Suportahan ang Palarong ROTC Natin” for its theme, the PRG aims to highlight sports development, discover new talents, and promote the ROTC program in the country.
The tripartite agreement was entered into by the Department of National Defense (DND), Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) last week in Camp Aguinaldo.
DND Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr., CHED Chairperson J. Prospero De Vera III and PSC Chairperson Jose Emmanuel Eala signed the deal before Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro and other officials of the three agencies as witnesses.
Faustino, who chairs the PRG 2023 executive organizing committee, as well as De Vera and Eala expressed their commitment in ensuring the fulfillment of the first ROTC Games in the country.
Faustino said the PRG would revitalize the ROTC as the current administration continues to advocate reinstitutionalizing the program in higher education curriculum instead of just being one of the three national service training program options.
“I look forward to a dramatic increase in our ROTC enrollees with this endeavor. ROTC is expected to help save our youths from the influence of radicalization and deceptive recruitment of nefarious groups preying upon the young,” he added.
Sen. Francis Tolentino, lead sponsor of the 2023 PRG and guest of honor and speaker during the signing ceremony, said the shared goal for the agreement is to strengthen nationalism and sports through the ROTC program.
“The launching of the 2023 Philippine ROTC Games signals the beginning of our quest for young Filipino athletes who will not only excel in sports, but who will, more importantly, showcase to the world that the Filipino heart is the heart of a champion,” he said.