Incoming Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa has an idea to help the young Filipinos who wanted to defend the Philippines against a possible Chinese invasion.
In a post, Dela Rosa expressed his intention to push for the mandatory Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) so the people who are calling the Duterte administration as pro-China and claiming that they’re patriotic can defend the country anytime.
According to him, he was inspired by the youth on social media showing the patriotism by showing their opposition against China’s reclamation in the West Philippine Sea.
“Para doon sa mga kabataan na nagbigay ng team china monicker sa duterte administration, I admire your patriotism. I will work for the return of mandatory ROTC in order to strengthen our territorial defense in case of foreign invasion. Konting tiis lang mga anak for the sake of our country. Ok?”
Some critics of the current administration on social media are young Filipinos who currently studying in Universities.
Most of them expressed their support to the opposition senatorial bet Otso Diretso who promised to defend the Philippine territory from China.
Mandatory ROTC for students was canceled in 2002 because of several controversies and replaced by the National Service Training Program (NSTP).
Several politicians and administration tried to revive the mandatory ROTC, however, they’re all failed.
In 2017, Duterte approved the proposal to revive the mandatory ROTC and certified it as “urgent” so the Congress and Senate would prioritize it.