Insights on ROTC and NSTP Reinstatement

thank you Mr President will the distinguished chairman Mr President The Honorable um Senator but I yield to a few questions yes Mr President thank you Mr President allow me to um discuss first some policy considerations and principles behind the filing and if at all approval of this bill before I go into the details of the um proposed bill with your permission Mr President you know um may I ask Mr President what is the main intention behind repealing the nstp law and reimbursing mandatory ROTC service for first and second year college students as proposed in the measure what is the main reason Mr President the main reason Mr President is that if I may borrowed the words from the Ted they said that the industry below is failing us uh it uh fails to uh it it it it it is not producing the needed preserved force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and it fails to achieve its envisioned goal which is uh to organize and National Reserve core uh that can be mobilized in times of disaster and calamities Mr President Mr President may I ask if this is contained in a formal depth a formal set position paper if there is a study backing that position stated by said that nstp has failed or it was merely stated during the Committee subcommittee hearing they have provided documents Mr President in fact according to Chad I observe the imposition of the United States below there were already six thousand uh a 6 million graduates of Industry that were given several numbers but uh purposes Mr President they were never used or mobilized either nationally or locally during disaster and Calamity response so it is really a total disaster the the lstp program that's according to chat Mr President is that the fault of the nstp graduates the program or the administrators and bureaucrats who failed to utilize them well uh for one Mr President Foreign Service Corps I uh this very much disorganized Mr President uh supposed to be the government that will take Church of this is the OCD office of civil defense but for some reasons including political local political reasons at any given time they are they have standing read The Reserve units that can be mobilized locally for any emergency uh Mr President Mr President your honor I am a product of RA 7077 and also a product of the original National Defense Act having taken both c80 in fourth year high school and CMT in my first and second year in college at the University of the Philippines Mr President your honor I have not been called either I've been used I have not been enlisted my services have not been asked for for any purpose if by your definition that is the reason why you say nstp is a failure then wasn't ROTC a failure as well if you look back if that was in 1985 15 plus 23 is ROTC insofar as I am concerned and I am a living witness of that not to mention wasting all of my Saturdays Under the Sun and not learning anything but I will go to that later we're still here so if it is a failure because nobody enlisted nobody utilized it nobody called abandon the same is true with graduates of the ROTC under ra 7077 and even under the National Defense app foreign at that time I didn't feel like I was equipped enough to defend my country because of those two years once a week every Saturday um so again Mr President can you kindly can the gentleman kindly Mr President your honor furnish me with a copy of a study not merely the position of Chen but a study upon which they are basing their statement that nstp actually failed because I have yet to actually see a study that says and evaluated and researched and reviewed nstp that it is a failure based on the ground that nobody has been called upon actually using the nstp program and for the record Mr President like the state that the representative of um shed who attended the hearings is actually a graduate of the up Vanguard so biases aside he would always be in favor of this he would always be in favor of reinstituting the ROTC having personal beliefs on this matter so I ask that this representation Mr President be furnished with a copy of a study if one is a if one is at all um available is there a study may ask you have representatives from the AFP is there a study was a study ever conducted was a review ever conducted with respect to the inability failure or complete lack of substance and or effect of the nstp just uh based on records that they have Mr President uh I am not uh I will I am the sponsor of this Mission so I am really for the imposition uh reposition of a rotation but uh browsing the records Mr President uh that uh you you also say that that the uh Mr President uh that the piljo maybe you you were not a member of the radio Reserve units of arutisy that is why you were not mobilized during a local calamities and disaster president uh unlike my my experience uh if we want to share our own experiences I um when it comes to discipline overall personalities uh I attribute to my whole being to my ROTC training before I entered the Philippine Military Academy understood Mr President um your honor we have various various and varied experiences that's why I'm asking for a study with respect to number one the success or if at all failure of ROTC before nstp and I study a review findings based on evidence and fact that nstp was indeed a failure because if I remember correctly Mr President your honor no study came out saying that nstp is a failure it was Amelia's statement of former president duterte in a statement now of President Marcos in a statement of Vice President Sarah duterte that they want ROTC imposed twinkle Kate Bridge nationalism love for Country etc etc but I have yet to see a study based on facts and evidence that indeed it is a failure and indeed ROTC is better because you have to remember Mr President your honor ROTC is still a part of nstp so if even the ROTC graduates were not called upon under nstp then ROTC is not the solution to replace an STP but perhaps the problem lies somewhere else not in the program itself which leads me to my next question Mr President your honor under nstp you can choose to go through ROTC in compliance with the nstp log would that be correct Mr President yes Mr President and according to the data I read about 20 percent of those qualified or required to undergo nstp actually took ROTC yes since the enactment since the enactment of the nstp law in 2006 foreign because 20 of nstp Mr President your honor undertook or took ROTC they were mobilized uh locally Mr President battalions read the reserved units of the rotissi every time my emergency from the Philippines aside from the regular units who responded to disasters and calamities Mr President and I presume I presume that they they are products of uh the nstp may we see maybe request Mr President your honor from the afpi presume or the DND data to the effect that indeed those who went through um ROTC under the nstp program were utilized as stated by the good sponsor in every locality of the country Whenever there would be disasters yes Mr President I will uh this representation will give you those documents thank you Mr President your honor now Mr President I have no doubt that those who are prepared to lay down their lives for the country Hindi language but um while I do not diminish it Mr President you know in fact I have high regard for it why does it seem like those who are not willing to take up arms um I looked down upon as persons who do not love their country even our national hero did not raise a single sword or a single gun to defend this country and fight for his love for country and yet he's our national hero by by saying that patriotism and nationalism can only be achieved and taught through ROTC it's like saying that if you refuse to do so then you most likely love your country less at the very least what would the good sponsor say to that assertion Mr President our national hero Dr Jose Rizal did not take up arms against the Spaniards but he was killed by the Spaniard so ultimately he he offered the ultimate sacrifice for this country uh I disagree uh with the saying that the people who doesn't support arutisi are unpatriotic no it doesn't follow all the time Mr President foreign if you are going to we are going to have an order or uh classification Mr President young Filipino now willing in the name of the Filipino plug and if the Filipino people and the Filipino Nation they are more patriotic than those sitting uh sitting on the sides waiting for what will happen and we'll just benefit the the approach that uh we we the the fruits that we Harvest after uh after the war or after the uh after The Envision Mr President but it doesn't see it doesn't say that it doesn't uh I don't say that uh they are less they are not patriotic maybe in degree the the difference in the name of the Filipino plan Mr President admittedly and I don't disagree with a good sponsor Mr President your honor I asked that question because the basic Declaration of policy when nspp was passed it's almost verbatim with a basic Declaration of policy with respect to this new bill reimbursing rotcs mandatory to inculcate patriotism and nationalism love for a country um mentioned was also made with respect to disaster preparedness when the nspp law was passed the objective is actually the same that's why nstp included ROTC as one of the options but not a mandatory um um imposition by stating that ROTC is now going to be mandatory under the proposed Bill and by repealing expressly nstp insofar as the other options are concerned other than ROTC it's like saying or conveying the message Mr President your honor that um patriotism nationalism love for Country service for country can only be done through the ROTC program and not the other programs such as the literacy program the community service program by which they can show equally with equal fervor their love for country and um patriotism well Mr President uh well uh I subscribe that you can be patriotic while serving the cwts or the community welfare uh training service or the literacy training service but Mr President remember or whatever country attacking foreign enacted equality our our women are always exposing for gender equality so why not give them the opportunity to serve their country to fight for this country if the needed Mr President absolutely um foreign country etc etc Hindi requirements what is the reason for the distinction at that time under the National Defense Act under ra-7077 but now there is a push to include them already what is the difference and what changed Mr President most likely Mr President maybe I was not yet burned when the Congress was uh was debating on that particular measure but Mr President worst comes to worst is have said gender equality during the time right now gender equality is the norm of the day I mean let's give them just give them the benefit of serving this country Mr President songs the context is very very different Mr President we may be taking uh this issue out of context but uh but then again I prided them to to become members of the reserved force of the uh Philippine Air Force because much less our country president so [Music] um uh when it comes to Invasion Mr President personally Mr President is now I believe gender equality is being used to offer this to women that's the premise is that correct Mr President Mr President gender Mr President the sponsor said gender equality yes what is made available to men should also be made available to women including including your owners including lgbtq everyone we are women Private Benjamin um the point being Mr President your honor is um usually gender equality um Sexes discriminated upon would like equality with respect to the things and opportunities that they like there is even no data that says women want that there is even no data that says women want to be equal and at par with men with respect to being required to undergo ROTC that may be the justification Mr President when you say you're including women but have you heard from the women themselves if they indeed want that or not my my daughters Mr President I'm just I'm just being candid Mr President I'm just being candid and honest to to the good gentleman from bicol that's uh we have already uh we have already received surveys saying that uh 90 of filipinosity to be to be very stated so that says Mr President Mr President your honor can the good sponsor submit to this representation the data he is making mention of because the survey I read and saw asked men and women separately but not by age group 18 to 25A um uh asked pulse Asian you had the writer question maybe you can share it to the to the body the results of that survey that would be very interesting to find out yes Mr President the sponsor would like to ask a reinforcement coming from uh my good friend good gentleman from Valenzuela no no let's say now Valenzuela Venezuela Mr President flash well Mr President I'll flash it on the screen but uh uh we commissioned false Asia to do a rider survey uh dated March 15 to 19 2023 and the question Mr President how much do you agree or disagree with the proposal to implement ROTC in all students in all students in college to all students in college and the ones who responded agree is 78 and the one who responded disagree is 13 with the president so there's an overwhelming support from our constituents thirteen percent thirteen percent Mr President the ones who cannot say is eight percent could you share with us the demographics of that Senator um scuders asking how many were the 18 to and all that would be great to find out for uh Mr President for those who are in the 18 to 24 years old uh the ones who agree is uh 75 Mr President for 20 25 to 34 is 83 Mr President maybe get a copy of the service yes Mr President I can furnish the body with a cup with the a copy of the services now aside from gender equality Mr President your honor what is the purpose why we're including women now when we never included them before earthquake is Mr President just for the record um instead of asking the good sponsor the National Defense Act was enacted in 1935 when we were a newly founded Republic a few years after that less than a decade World War II started um but our forefathers did not see it fit at that time to include both men and women in so far as compulsory military armed reserve military training is um concerned I believe we are farther from war today given present World circumstances and politics than we were in 1935 going into um going into World War II bearing in mind too Mr President your honor that um the beginnings of World War II already starting by 1935 and it became an independent when we became a commonwealth and World War One just finished at least in Europe um at that time moving forward Mr President Iran um the proposed bill has highfaluting objectives with respect to patriotism nationalism love for Country disaster preparedness is a distinguished sponsor said and yet there is no program of instruction that is already in place or at least at the very least if this will be delegated um there should be some guidelines and guide posts as to what such program of instruction would entail for example Mr President your owner the military aspect of it is concerned beside participated in when I was in college for two years at least every Saturday police disaster preparedness Civic mindedness is this program of instruction what would it entail DND in the author's mind in the sponsor's mind what would consist of such program of instruction how many times a week how do you break it up is um how does the distinguished sponsors see this being implemented under the POI being recommended and or mandated Mr President it is clearly stated in the in Section 5 of The Measure that the basic ROTC program curriculum in consultation with other relevant government agencies and private stakeholders including associations of schools shall design and formulate the program of instruction on the basic rotissy and be guided with the following purposes objectives which was cited by the good gentleman from and Mr President we will be we will be uh foreign foreign congressional oversight committee there is hereby created a joint congressional oversight committee to Versi Monitor and evaluate the implementation of this act that J jcoc shall be composed of five members each from the Senate and the House of Representatives with the chairpersons of the Committees on higher education the good gentleman from Massachusetts is the chairman uh as far as this mission is concerned on both houses and could as culture persons so using using this uh joint Congressional committee was represented we have to make sure that the objectives enumerated in this proposed measure be achieved through the implementation of Mr President that we in the legislature no more role to play as far as the irr is concerned because

thank you Mr President will the distinguished chairman Mr President The Honorable um Senator but I yield to a few questions yes Mr President thank you Mr President allow me to um discuss first some policy considerations and principles behind the filing and if at all approval of this bill before I go into the details of the um proposed bill with your permission Mr President you know um may I ask Mr President what is the main intention behind repealing the nstp law and reimbursing mandatory ROTC service for first and second year college students as proposed in the measure what is the main reason Mr President the main reason Mr President is that if I may borrowed the words from the Ted they said that the industry below is failing us uh it uh fails to uh it it it it it is not producing the needed preserved force of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and it fails to achieve its envisioned goal which is uh to organize and National Reserve core uh that can be mobilized in times of disaster and calamities Mr President Mr President may I ask if this is contained in a formal depth a formal set position paper if there is a study backing that position stated by said that nstp has failed or it was merely stated during the Committee subcommittee hearing they have provided documents Mr President in fact according to Chad I observe the imposition of the United States below there were already six thousand uh a 6 million graduates of Industry that were given several numbers but uh purposes Mr President they were never used or mobilized either nationally or locally during disaster and Calamity response so it is really a total disaster the the lstp program that's according to chat Mr President is that the fault of the nstp graduates the program or the administrators and bureaucrats who failed to utilize them well uh for one Mr President Foreign Service Corps I uh this very much disorganized Mr President uh supposed to be the government that will take Church of this is the OCD office of civil defense but for some reasons including political local political reasons at any given time they are they have standing read The Reserve units that can be mobilized locally for any emergency uh Mr President Mr President your honor I am a product of RA 7077 and also a product of the original National Defense Act having taken both c80 in fourth year high school and CMT in my first and second year in college at the University of the Philippines Mr President your honor I have not been called either I've been used I have not been enlisted my services have not been asked for for any purpose if by your definition that is the reason why you say nstp is a failure then wasn't ROTC a failure as well if you look back if that was in 1985 15 plus 23 is ROTC insofar as I am concerned and I am a living witness of that not to mention wasting all of my Saturdays Under the Sun and not learning anything but I will go to that later we're still here so if it is a failure because nobody enlisted nobody utilized it nobody called abandon the same is true with graduates of the ROTC under ra 7077 and even under the National Defense app foreign at that time I didn't feel like I was equipped enough to defend my country because of those two years once a week every Saturday um so again Mr President can you kindly can the gentleman kindly Mr President your honor furnish me with a copy of a study not merely the position of Chen but a study upon which they are basing their statement that nstp actually failed because I have yet to actually see a study that says and evaluated and researched and reviewed nstp that it is a failure based on the ground that nobody has been called upon actually using the nstp program and for the record Mr President like the state that the representative of um shed who attended the hearings is actually a graduate of the up Vanguard so biases aside he would always be in favor of this he would always be in favor of reinstituting the ROTC having personal beliefs on this matter so I ask that this representation Mr President be furnished with a copy of a study if one is a if one is at all um available is there a study may ask you have representatives from the AFP is there a study was a study ever conducted was a review ever conducted with respect to the inability failure or complete lack of substance and or effect of the nstp just uh based on records that they have Mr President uh I am not uh I will I am the sponsor of this Mission so I am really for the imposition uh reposition of a rotation but uh browsing the records Mr President uh that uh you you also say that that the uh Mr President uh that the piljo maybe you you were not a member of the radio Reserve units of arutisy that is why you were not mobilized during a local calamities and disaster president uh unlike my my experience uh if we want to share our own experiences I um when it comes to discipline overall personalities uh I attribute to my whole being to my ROTC training before I entered the Philippine Military Academy understood Mr President um your honor we have various various and varied experiences that's why I'm asking for a study with respect to number one the success or if at all failure of ROTC before nstp and I study a review findings based on evidence and fact that nstp was indeed a failure because if I remember correctly Mr President your honor no study came out saying that nstp is a failure it was Amelia's statement of former president duterte in a statement now of President Marcos in a statement of Vice President Sarah duterte that they want ROTC imposed twinkle Kate Bridge nationalism love for Country etc etc but I have yet to see a study based on facts and evidence that indeed it is a failure and indeed ROTC is better because you have to remember Mr President your honor ROTC is still a part of nstp so if even the ROTC graduates were not called upon under nstp then ROTC is not the solution to replace an STP but perhaps the problem lies somewhere else not in the program itself which leads me to my next question Mr President your honor under nstp you can choose to go through ROTC in compliance with the nstp log would that be correct Mr President yes Mr President and according to the data I read about 20 percent of those qualified or required to undergo nstp actually took ROTC yes since the enactment since the enactment of the nstp law in 2006 foreign because 20 of nstp Mr President your honor undertook or took ROTC they were mobilized uh locally Mr President battalions read the reserved units of the rotissi every time my emergency from the Philippines aside from the regular units who responded to disasters and calamities Mr President and I presume I presume that they they are products of uh the nstp may we see maybe request Mr President your honor from the afpi presume or the DND data to the effect that indeed those who went through um ROTC under the nstp program were utilized as stated by the good sponsor in every locality of the country Whenever there would be disasters yes Mr President I will uh this representation will give you those documents thank you Mr President your honor now Mr President I have no doubt that those who are prepared to lay down their lives for the country Hindi language but um while I do not diminish it Mr President you know in fact I have high regard for it why does it seem like those who are not willing to take up arms um I looked down upon as persons who do not love their country even our national hero did not raise a single sword or a single gun to defend this country and fight for his love for country and yet he's our national hero by by saying that patriotism and nationalism can only be achieved and taught through ROTC it's like saying that if you refuse to do so then you most likely love your country less at the very least what would the good sponsor say to that assertion Mr President our national hero Dr Jose Rizal did not take up arms against the Spaniards but he was killed by the Spaniard so ultimately he he offered the ultimate sacrifice for this country uh I disagree uh with the saying that the people who doesn't support arutisi are unpatriotic no it doesn't follow all the time Mr President foreign if you are going to we are going to have an order or uh classification Mr President young Filipino now willing in the name of the Filipino plug and if the Filipino people and the Filipino Nation they are more patriotic than those sitting uh sitting on the sides waiting for what will happen and we'll just benefit the the approach that uh we we the the fruits that we Harvest after uh after the war or after the uh after The Envision Mr President but it doesn't see it doesn't say that it doesn't uh I don't say that uh they are less they are not patriotic maybe in degree the the difference in the name of the Filipino plan Mr President admittedly and I don't disagree with a good sponsor Mr President your honor I asked that question because the basic Declaration of policy when nspp was passed it's almost verbatim with a basic Declaration of policy with respect to this new bill reimbursing rotcs mandatory to inculcate patriotism and nationalism love for a country um mentioned was also made with respect to disaster preparedness when the nspp law was passed the objective is actually the same that's why nstp included ROTC as one of the options but not a mandatory um um imposition by stating that ROTC is now going to be mandatory under the proposed Bill and by repealing expressly nstp insofar as the other options are concerned other than ROTC it's like saying or conveying the message Mr President your honor that um patriotism nationalism love for Country service for country can only be done through the ROTC program and not the other programs such as the literacy program the community service program by which they can show equally with equal fervor their love for country and um patriotism well Mr President uh well uh I subscribe that you can be patriotic while serving the cwts or the community welfare uh training service or the literacy training service but Mr President remember or whatever country attacking foreign enacted equality our our women are always exposing for gender equality so why not give them the opportunity to serve their country to fight for this country if the needed Mr President absolutely um foreign country etc etc Hindi requirements what is the reason for the distinction at that time under the National Defense Act under ra-7077 but now there is a push to include them already what is the difference and what changed Mr President most likely Mr President maybe I was not yet burned when the Congress was uh was debating on that particular measure but Mr President worst comes to worst is have said gender equality during the time right now gender equality is the norm of the day I mean let's give them just give them the benefit of serving this country Mr President songs the context is very very different Mr President we may be taking uh this issue out of context but uh but then again I prided them to to become members of the reserved force of the uh Philippine Air Force because much less our country president so [Music] um uh when it comes to Invasion Mr President personally Mr President is now I believe gender equality is being used to offer this to women that's the premise is that correct Mr President Mr President gender Mr President the sponsor said gender equality yes what is made available to men should also be made available to women including including your owners including lgbtq everyone we are women Private Benjamin um the point being Mr President your honor is um usually gender equality um Sexes discriminated upon would like equality with respect to the things and opportunities that they like there is even no data that says women want that there is even no data that says women want to be equal and at par with men with respect to being required to undergo ROTC that may be the justification Mr President when you say you're including women but have you heard from the women themselves if they indeed want that or not my my daughters Mr President I'm just I'm just being candid Mr President I'm just being candid and honest to to the good gentleman from bicol that's uh we have already uh we have already received surveys saying that uh 90 of filipinosity to be to be very stated so that says Mr President Mr President your honor can the good sponsor submit to this representation the data he is making mention of because the survey I read and saw asked men and women separately but not by age group 18 to 25A um uh asked pulse Asian you had the writer question maybe you can share it to the to the body the results of that survey that would be very interesting to find out yes Mr President the sponsor would like to ask a reinforcement coming from uh my good friend good gentleman from Valenzuela no no let's say now Valenzuela Venezuela Mr President  flash well Mr President I'll flash it on the screen but uh uh we commissioned false Asia to do a rider survey uh dated March 15 to 19 2023 and the question Mr President how much do you agree or disagree with the proposal to implement ROTC in all students in all students in college to all students in college and the ones who responded agree is 78 and the one who responded disagree is 13 with the president so there's an overwhelming support from our constituents thirteen percent thirteen percent Mr President the ones who cannot say is eight percent could you share with us the demographics of that Senator um scuders asking how many were the 18 to and all that would be great to find out for uh Mr President for those who are in the 18 to 24 years old uh the ones who agree is uh 75 Mr President for 20 25 to 34 is 83 Mr President maybe get a copy of the service yes Mr President I can furnish the body with a cup with the a copy of the services now aside from gender equality Mr President your honor what is the purpose why we're including women now when we never included them before earthquake is Mr President just for the record um instead of asking the good sponsor the National Defense Act was enacted in 1935 when we were a newly founded Republic a few years after that less than a decade World War II started um but our forefathers did not see it fit at that time to include both men and women in so far as compulsory military armed reserve military training is um concerned I believe we are farther from war today given present World circumstances and politics than we were in 1935 going into um going into World War II bearing in mind too Mr President your honor that um the beginnings of World War II already starting by 1935 and it became an independent when we became a commonwealth and World War One just finished at least in Europe um at that time moving forward Mr President Iran um the proposed bill has highfaluting objectives with respect to patriotism nationalism love for Country disaster preparedness is a distinguished sponsor said and yet there is no program of instruction that is already in place or at least at the very least if this will be delegated um there should be some guidelines and guide posts as to what such program of instruction would entail for example Mr President your owner the military aspect of it is concerned beside participated in when I was in college for two years at least every Saturday police disaster preparedness Civic mindedness is this program of instruction what would it entail DND in the author's mind in the sponsor's mind what would consist of such program of instruction how many times a week how do you break it up is um how does the distinguished sponsors see this being implemented under the POI being recommended and or mandated Mr President it is clearly stated in the in Section 5 of The Measure that the basic ROTC program curriculum in consultation with other relevant government agencies and private stakeholders including associations of schools shall design and formulate the program of instruction on the basic rotissy and be guided with the following purposes objectives which was cited by the good gentleman from and Mr President we will be we will be uh foreign foreign congressional oversight committee there is hereby created a joint congressional oversight committee to Versi Monitor and evaluate the implementation of this act that J jcoc shall be composed of five members each from the Senate and the House of Representatives with the chairpersons of the Committees on higher education the good gentleman from Massachusetts is the chairman uh as far as this mission is concerned on both houses and could as culture persons so using using this uh joint Congressional committee was represented we have to make sure that the objectives enumerated in this proposed measure be achieved through the implementation of Mr President that we in the legislature no more role to play as far as the irr is concerned because

Transcript for:Insights on ROTC and NSTP Reinstatement

Transcript for:
Insights on ROTC and NSTP Reinstatement