CORPS commanders, senior reservist commanders and top military officials have vowed to actively address hazing and corruption in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) even as they threw full support to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for the restoration of the program. Col. Edgard Arevalo, chief of the AFP Public Affairs Office, explained that the ROTC is a key component of the AFP’s Reserve Force Development program. “Through this summit, we are able to connect the ROTC Corps commanders with the senior reservist commanders of the AFP to discuss common issues on the ROTC and its role in the reserve force,” he said. The gathering came on the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte’s approval of the proposed restoration of mandatory ROTC in Grades 11 and 12 in the country’s public and private schools. Gatchalian had said instituting a mandatory ROTC program for senior high schools students is a great way to bolster the military’s reserve corps while instilling the fundamental ideals of patriotism and public service among the youth.

Source: Manila Times February 22, 2017 10:30 UTC