SEN. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, presided over a hybrid hearing on various education-related measures on Tuesday.
Of the 21 bills tackled, 15 measures were approved by the panel including House Bill (HB) 5001 or “Free College Examination Act” and Senate Bill (SB) 975 or the “Student Loan Payment Moratorium During Disasters and Emergencies Act.”
Meanwhile, five proposals seeking the establishment of campuses in various areas were provisionally approved by the panel pending the submission of corresponding documents and comments showing approval of the respective college and university boards.
However, the panel referred SB 1349, an act mandating the institutionalization of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program in public and private tertiary level educational institutions, back to the Committees on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs; National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation.
Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, who filed SB 1349, said that the Philippines is facing threats from within and outside its territory.
Aside from the Covid-19 pandemic that wreaked havoc on the health and economic sector of the country, dela Rosa pointed out that another threat to Philippine security and development is insurgency.
“The nation is also located on the Pacific Ring of Fire and along the Pacific typhoon belt, which means that the country experiences many forms of natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, landslides and fires,” he said.
Thus, he said it is important to prepare the citizens through education, training, and disaster preparedness. Such is the purpose of the reinstitution of the ROTC.
Dela Rosa said the military training will instill discipline, moral virtues and patriotism among the Grades 11 and 12 students.
