1. De La Salle University
Student Council
P.L.A.R. No. 2007-01-23 Legislative Assembly
Status: Approved
Resolution No. 2007-15
Sponsored by: National Affairs Committee
Richard Anciado, FOCUS2006 Antonette Pacheco, BnE2008
Jamie Pengson, EDGE2005
Authored by:
Greggy Lam Chua, BnE 2007 Bernadette Razon, CATCH2T9
RESOLUTION CALLING FOR DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY STUDENT
COUNCIL TO RELEASE THE MANIFESTO AGAINST THE
REINSTATEMENT OF THE MANDATORY RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING
CORPS PROGRAM
Whereas, the Legislative Assembly is the highest policy making body in the
Student Council (Student Council Constitution, Article VII, Section 1);
Whereas, the Legislative Assembly shall concern itself with discussing and
deciding on Resolutions on national and sectoral issues (Student Council
Constitution, Article VIII, Section 4.3);
Whereas, it was proposed by former Senator Alfredo Lim that the Reserve
Officers Training Corps (ROTC) be re-instituted as mandatory for all
undergraduate students following the provisions of Republic Act No. 7077
and Commonwealth Act No. 1 (Senate Bill No. 2224, Section 2);
Whereas, the pertinent provisions of Republic Act No. 9163, or the National
Service Training Program will be repealed upon the legislation of Senate
Bill No. 2224 (Senate Bill No. 2224, Section 3);
Whereas, the Lower House version imposes the mandatory ROTC only on
male college students (Manila Standard Today, June, 2006);
Whereas, “the program of institution shall be prescribed by the Secretary of
National Defense and may include instruction to prepare female students
for military service: Provided, That such course of instruction shall not
2. exceed two (2) academics years in the case of enlisted reservist,”
(Republic Act No. 7077, Section 39);
Wherefore, be it resolved that the Legislative Assembly approve the release
of the manifesto;
Wherefore, be it further resolved that ALL Student Council units be tasked to
disseminate information regarding the proposed law on mandatory
ROTC in the tertiary level and the Manifesto Against the Mandatory
ROTC in the Tertiary Level;
Wherefore, be it finally resolved that the Student Council President forward
this manifesto to COSCA, DLSU – ROTC, the concerned government
agencies and other universities.
Adopted,
July 11, 2007
3. A Manifesto Against the Reinstatement of the Mandatory Reserve
Officers Training Corps Program
Five years after the National Service Training Program was enacted
into law, two bills, pending in Congress, have been proposed to repeal this
law and to bring back the mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps
Program in the tertiary level. With the 13th Congress recently adjourned, we
draft this manifesto for the new leaders of our nation in the 14th Congress to
hear the stand of the Lasallian students regarding Senate Bill 2224 and
House Bill 5460.
What is Republic Act 7077?
Republic Act 7077, or the “Citizen Armed Forces or Armed Forces of
the Philippines Reservist Act,” aims to provide an extension of the regular
military force called the Citizens Armed Force. Article VII, Sections 37 and
38 of this Republic Act requires that all students enrolled in Higher
Education Institutions undergo military training for the purpose of
producing reservists.
What is Republic Act 9163?
Republic Act 9163, also known as the “National Service Training
Program (NSTP) Act of 2001,” is “a program aimed at enhancing civic
consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth by developing the
ethics of service and patriotism while undergoing training in any of its three
(3) program components.” It is composed of the following programs:
Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), Civic Welfare Training Service and
the Literacy Training Service. Each college graduate student is required to
choose and complete one of the NSTP components before graduating.
What are Senate Bill 2224 and House Bill 5460?
These two bills seek to reinstate the mandatory ROTC for all college
students. The senate bill pushes for all college students to mandatorily take
ROTC, while its counterpart in the lower house aims to make ROTC
mandatory for males and voluntary for females. In effect, they will repeal
the provisions of Republic Act 9163.
In the explanatory note of Senate Bill 2224, Alfredo Lim cites that
there is a need to reinstate the mandatory ROTC to “instill discipline among
the youth and make them more committed to do acts and deeds that serve
4. the nation rather than indulge in fraternities, drugs and other tendencies
not conducive to their development.”
According to a press release of the House of Representatives, Rep.
Eduardo Gullas states that by requiring college students to take ROTC, we
are preparing “a generation of young people who are ready to defend the
country in any eventuality” (House of Representatives website, June 9,
2006).
With the pending bill in both Houses of Congress, we, as Lasallians, do not
support the plan to reinstate mandatory ROTC and repeal the National
Service Training Program due to the following reasons:
1. We believe that repealing the National Service Training Program and
making ROTC mandatory curtail the freedom of students in choosing
how they best serve the country.
2. “Patriotic ideals and love for country” are not only imbibed in military
training, but also in the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS)
component of NSTP, where students take part in nation building and
social transformation.
In De La Salle University alone, since the implementation of NSTP, an
average of 1,554.5 individuals per term was helped through basic
education and social services to the community. Moreover, 82.22% of
students who had enrolled in CWTS said that the program was
effective in instilling social action (The NSTP-CWTS Experience of De
La Salle University: Teaching Minds, Touching Hearts, Transforming
Lives, 2007).
3. ROTC is not the only program or venue where students learn
discipline. In fact, it is assumed that the youth are already disciplined
and mature individuals when they enter the tertiary level.
4. Mandatory ROTC may not prove to be effective in assisting the Armed
Forces of the Philippines in maintaining peace and order in the
country, especially in times of war. The rationale behind this is that
not all members of the reserves may be prepared because of the
involuntary service and the lack of passion to learn the military
activities. In addition, these members have their own comparative
advantages and wasting their skills in other activities may not prove
to be helpful.
5. We are against the possibility that students may be used for brute
force or hostile activities in the future.
We, as Lasallians, recommend the following proposals:
5. 1. We ask for the administration of Higher Education Institutions,
parents and students to release a stand regarding the pending bills on
mandatory ROTC in the tertiary level to the concerned government
agencies.
2. We call on Congress not to repeal Republic Act No. 9163 or the
National Service Training Program.
3. We call on the concerned government agencies to develop an ROTC
program or course that will encourage and entice the youth to join the
Armed Forces of the Philippines so that the number of ROTC enrollees
and the number of armed forces may increase. The curriculum may
include various leadership development activities that will equip the
students for any leadership roles, voluntary adventure activities that
will aid in the students’ training and physical fitness and other skills
and classroom sessions that will develop patriotism, besides the
education on military training, tactics and operations in the classroom
and the field.
4. We also call on the concerned government agencies to develop
incentive systems such as scholarships and lower expenses on the
needed materials when enrolled in the ROTC program.
5. We encourage all Higher Education Institutions to conduct an
objective orientation before the start of the school year that will brief
the incoming freshmen about the benefits of joining the ROTC
program and CWTS program.