Senator Ronald ‘Bato’ Dela Rosa on Tuesday said the proposed mandatory Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in college would not exempt female students from participating.
In an interview with the media after the Senate hearing on the matter, Dela Rosa said females are included in all versions of the proposed ROTC bill filed by several lawmakers.
"Gusto n'yo gender equality, ayaw ninyo maging weaker sex [ang babae]. So, mahalin natin ang ating bansa. So sama tayo dito. If we were attacked by the enemy, hindi lang naman lalaki ang tinatamaan ng bala, babae rin naman ang tinatamaan ng kalaban. So kailangan natin depensahan ang ating bansa,” he underscored.
When asked if there are safeguards that guarantee no harassment would be done against females, the Senator said there are existing laws that protect them.
"Ang pagmamahal sa bayan, hindi lang naman ito limited sa lalaki o babae,” he said.
Under Dela Rosa’s bill version, the only exempted from ROTC are those who have already undergone military training, foreign students, persons with disabilities (PWDs), those whose religion proscribes military training, and among others.
The Senator said he is “very confident” that the proposed ROTC bill may be passed in the first quarter of 2023 since the Malacañgan already certified it as a priority measure.
“Sila nga mismo nag-propose ng kanilang bill, coming from the executive branch of the government. Meron silang version of the proposed bill,” he added.
Bato noted that it is impossible to pass the proposed ROTC bill this year as there are only a few sessions left in the Senate.
