Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL no 06

Introduced by HONORABLE RESURRECCION MARRERO-ACOP, MD

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill proposes the re-institution of mandatory military
training for all Grade 11 and Grade 12 students currently enrolled in
any public or private educational institutions by reinstating and
amending Sections 38 and 39 of Republic Act 7077, otherwise known
as the "Citizen Armed Force or Armed Forces of the Philippines
Reservist Act".

The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) is designed to
provide military training to Grade 11 and Grade 12 (Senior High
School) studenis in order to motivate, train, organize and mobilize our
youth for national defense preparedness. ROTC was institutionalized
under Commonwealth Act No. 1, also known as "The National Defense
Act.” Under this measure, every physically fit student was required to
pursue a course of military instruction designed to qualify him for a
commission as a third lieutenant in the Regular or Reserve Forces.

The National Defense Act was amended by Presidential Decree
(PD) No. 1706, otherwise known as "The National Service Law." The
decree provides that each citizen shall render national service in any
of the three main programs, namely: civic welfare service; law
enforcement service; and military service.

The National Service Law was later amended by Republic Act No.
7077, otherwise known as the "Citizen Armed Force or Armed Forces
of the Philippines Reservist Act" which provides for the mandatory
taking of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). The law requires
the completion of the course as a requirement for all college students
in acquiring their baccalaureate degree.

On June 27, 1991, Republic Act No. 9163, otherwise known as
the "National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001, was
approved. The program was enacted to enhance civic consciousness
and defense preparedness in the youth by developing their ethics of
service and patriotism while undergoing training in any three program
components, namely: the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC),



Literacy Training Service and Civic Welfare Training Service. Under RA
9163, ROTC was made optional and voluntary.

The proposed measure seeks the restoration of the mandatory
Reserve Officers’ Training Course as provided in RA 7077 to equip our
youth with necessary knowledge and skills in securing and defending
the country in times of national emergency.

Mandatory military training is often considered beneficial as it
can provide sufficient manpower reserves to augment an army in case
of a military emergency!. But the merit of this proposal to produce
mobilizable reservists from the ROTC largely depend on its ability to
suitably train them for their assignments, hence the impetus for a
“reformed” ROTC program. This Representation is fully aware of the
criticism as well as the impetus that led to the abolition of mandatory
ROTC in the past. That is why this measure also seeks to incorporate
increased technological advances, coupled with new learners’ needs of
the current and succeeding generations of Grade 11 and Grade 12
learners, which have created new realities for secondary education
contexts. The reinstated ROTC program must reflect new pedagogical
approaches and learning technologies in secondary education and
identify innovations in teaching and learning practices? in secondary
and higher education settings — with the overall objective of
modernizing and reforming the new ROTC program and the Armed
Forces of the Philippines military education system.

It is also this measure’s hope that a rejuvenated ROTC program
shall instill a sense of moral duty of citizenship, and strengthen the
resolve in the next generation of Filipinos to answer the call to serve
the nation, including the duty to defend and preserve the country, its
people, and its way of life.

This bill will in effect repeal RA 9163.

Consistent with the constitutional mandate that the government
may call upon the people to defend the state, approval of this bill is
earnestly sought.

deep

RESURRECCION MARRERO-ACOP, MD
Representative
2nd District, Antipolo City

* Poutvaara, P. and Wagener, A., 2007. Conscription: Economic costs and political allure. The Economics of Peace and
Security Journal, 2(1),

2 Scoppio, G. and Covell, L.. 2016. Mapping Trends in Pedagogical Approaches and Learning Technologies
Perspectives from the Canadian, International, and Military Education Contexts. Canadian Journal of Higher
Education, 46(2), pp.127-147,


Republic of the Philippines

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS,
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 0606

Introduced by HONORABLE RESURRECCION MARRERO-ACOP, MD

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE RESTORATION OF MANDATORY MILITARY TRAINING
FOR ALL GRADE 11 AND GRADE 12 STUDENTS BY REINSTATING SECTIONS
38 AND 39 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7077, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE
“CITIZEN ARMED FORCE OR ARMED FORCES OF THE PHILIPPINES
RESERVIST ACT"

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of
the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Sections 38 and 39 of Republic Act No. 7077, as previously amended
by Republic Act No. 9163, otherwise known as the "National Service Training
Program (NSTP) Act of 2001,” is hereby restored and subsequently amended to read
as follows:

"SEC. 38. Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC). - Military training
for GRADE 11 AND GRADE 12 students enrolled in colleges, universities
and similar institutions of learning is mandatory pursuant to the provisions
of the National Defense Act and the 1987 Constitution.

SEC. 39. Establishment of ROTC Units in Schools. - At such colleges,
universities and similar institutions of learning that request for the conduct
of military training in their institutions, there shall be established and
maintained Reserve Officers’ Training Corps units as the Secretary of
National Defense may approve, which shall conduct military training for the

students of such institutions for the purpose of producing enlisted and officer


reservists. The program of instruction shall be prescribed by the Secretary of
National Defense; WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF IMBUING THE STUDENTS
WITH KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES THAT SEEK NATIONAL
UNITY, PEACE AND SECURITY AS WELL AS GLOBAL STABILITY,
INCORPORATING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATIVE
PRACTICES, RELEVANT TO THE LEARNER’S NEEDS, AND INFORMED
BY A SHARED ETHICAL FRAMEWORK; and may include instruction to
prepare female students for military service: Provided, That such course of
instruction shall not exceed two (2) academic years in the case of enlisted
reservists, and four (4) academic years in the case of officer reservists which
shall include as necessary summer or probationary training of not more than
sixty (60) consecutive days. The first two (2) years of ROTC training, which is
mandatory FOR GRADE 11 AND GRADE 12 STUDENTS, shall hereafter be
referred to as basic ROTC while the second two (2) years after said basic
ROTC, which is voluntary for TERTIARY LEVEL STUDENTS, shall hereafter
be referred to as advance ROTC. The allocation of ROTC units to the various
major services of the AFP shall conform to the projected manpower needs of

their respective reserve components.”

SECTION 2. Republic Act No. 9163, otherwise known as the "National Service
Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001," is hereby repealed. All other laws, executive
orders, decrees, rules and regulations and other issuances inconsistent with any

provisions of this Act are hereby amended and modified accordingly.

SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in
the Official Gazette or in any two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,