Gatchalian poll suggests majority of Filipinos favor mandatory ROTC
MANILA, Philippines — A survey commissioned by the office of Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian suggests that nearly 8 in 10 Filipinos support the return of the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps program in college.
The survey conducted by private pollster Pulse Asia from March 15 to 19, and released on Tuesday, asked 1,200 respondents whether they agree or disagree with the proposal to make ROTC mandatory again for all college students.
It prefaced the question with this statement: “The ROTC … is a program which aims to teach the youth about discipline and love of country through military training. They will also learn about leadership and patriotism. Some of those who oppose ROTC say that it only leads to bad experiences such as hazing, abuse, harassment and corruption in schools.”
The survey showed that 78% of people agreed to bring back mandatory ROTC, with 43% of them saying they strongly agree and 35% saying they somewhat agree.
Only 13% of the respondents said they disagreed, while 8% said they cannot say if they agree or disagree.
Those who agreed were asked to pick from a list of reasons why they supported the proposal. Of them, 71% said they backed mandatory ROTC because “young people will learn discipline and responsibility,” while 60% said the program will “train students so they are prepared to defend the country.”
Meanwhile, 59% said mandatory ROTC will teach the youth leadership or help them develop leadership skills, while 52% said they will “learn the value of teamwork.”
Those who disagreed were also asked to pick a list of reasons why they rejected bringing back program. Of them, 75% worried that cases of hazing, abuse and harassment will increase, while 56% said it was a waste of time that the youth should just dedicate to studying.
Mandatory ROTC is moving ahead in Congress, with the Senate set to start plenary deliberations on the proposal which counts among its authors Gatchalian and is being sponsored by Sen. Ronald dela Rosa.
The program has been identified by the Marcos administration as one of its priorities. It has asked Congress to pass the measure before the president’s next State of the Nation Address in July, but Dela Rosa said he could only commit to passing it within the year.
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