Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 11) — Sen. Bato dela Rosa said the Philippines must train Filipinos to fight as he pushed to revive the mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, believing this would lessen China’s bullying in the West Philippine Sea.
In an interview on Friday shared with reporters, Dela Rosa said the nation must always be ready, especially with the threat and bullying by China in the West Philippine Sea, \”otherwise, we will not be respected\” by the East Asian giant.
\”Bababuyin lang tayo ng mga ‘yan dahil alam nilang very weak ‘yung ating defense, wala tayong very credible na ready reserve force that we can mobilize anytime pag magkakaroon ng gulo,\” he said.
[Translation: They will disrespect us because they know that we have a very weak defense, we don’t have a very credible ready reserve force that we can mobilize anytime if conflict occurs.]
When asked if China will \”go easy\” with its incursions once it sees that Filipinos are \”well-trained,\” with a mandatory ROTC program set, Dela Rosa answered, \”Yes, maghihinay-hinay sila [they will go easy]…we have to be credible to be respected.\”
The senator also said Vietnam, who is among those who have overlapping territorial claims in the contested waterway, is not easily bullied by China because Vietnamese people are \”ready to die for their country.\”
\”We have to be ready ‘pag dumating ‘yung panahon na kinakailangan talaga [if the time comes],\” Dela Rosa said. \”We have to sacrifice ourselves.\”
Dela Rosa, a former Philippine National Police chief, is the sponsor of the Senate bill that seeks to revive the compulsory ROTC program.
The proposed measure, which is among the priority measures listed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is still in the period of interpellation in the Senate.
The call comes after the China Coast Guard blocked and fired water cannons at PCG vessels during a resupply mission to military personnel in Ayungin Shoal on Aug. 5.
The Philippine government summoned Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian and filed a diplomatic protest against Beijing on Aug. 7.
Mandatory ROTC was first abolished after former President Gloria Arroyo signed the National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act in 2002 in response to public clamor to reform the program following the brutal killing of University of Santo Tomas student Mark Welson Chua.
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