MANILA—UP Diliman Chairperson spoke out against vice-presidential candidate Sara Duterte-proposal Carpio’s to implement mandatory military training for Filipinos

Mandatory ROTC (Reserve Officers’ Training Corps) in the first place has a goal to instill nationalism to students using military-style training,” Jonas Abadilla, chairperson of UP Diliman University Student Council, told ANC’s “Rundown”.

“However, I believe this will be an insult to the decades of student struggle into academic freedom since there are other ways to express nationalism and patriotism that can be done without this abusive program.”

According to Abadilla, the planned mandatory ROTC “should no longer be resurrected”.

“Based on the cases that students are being abused and has this culture of violence and blind obedience, I cannot fully say and believe that mandatory ROTC will have this positive impact to the country,” he stated

In the face of the country’s culture of violence and corruption, Abadilla finds it difficult to see the restorative purpose of required military duty.

Together with Civic Welfare Training Service and Literacy Training Service, ROTC is now one of three components of the National Service Training Program. In the Philippines, military duty is currently optional. Even so, the 1987 Constitution’s Article 2, Section 4 allows for recruitment.