FORMER Rep. Sarah Elago, Gabriela Women’s Party’s Legislative Consultant for Young Women’s Affairs, strongly opposed the Senate’s push for the revival of mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, warning that it is a dangerous step towards the militarization of Filipino youth amid rising tensions between the United States and China in the West Philippine Sea.
Senate Majority Floor Leader Francis Tolentino said that the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) bill will be passed in the Senate.
“We condemn this blatant attempt to use our youth as pawns in geopolitical conflicts. The push for mandatory ROTC is not about instilling discipline or nationalism, but about preparing our young people as cannon fodder for the rising threat of war in the region,” said former Rep. Sarah Elago.
The ex-lawmaker also highlighted the dark history of the ROTC program, citing cases of abuse, corruption, and even deaths associated with it. “We have not forgotten Mark Welson Chua and other victims of ROTC. Reviving this program means potentially subjecting more of our youth to similar dangers,” Elago stated.
Instead of militarizing education, Elago called for genuine patriotic education that teaches critical thinking, promotes peace, and upholds Philippine sovereignty. “We need to educate our youth about our history of struggle against colonialism, not train them to be complicit in new forms of foreign domination,” Elago explained.
The women’s party-list group urged the Senate to reject the mandatory ROTC bill and instead focus on addressing the roots of social problems through education, job creation, and genuine agrarian reform. “Instead of militarizing our schools, we should be focusing on improving the quality of education, addressing the healthcare needs among students, and providing better job opportunities for graduates. Let us invest in the holistic development of our youth, not turn them into instruments of war,” Elago concluded
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