(NI NOEL ABUEL)

PAGLABAG sa itinatadhana ng international law ang panukalangg pagbuhay sa mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) sa mga estudyanteng papasok sa Grade 11 at Grade 12.

Ito ang sinabi ni Senador Risa Hontiveros kung saan ang 2-year mandatory ROTC ay paglabag umano sa Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at ang Pilipinas ay bahagi nito.

“Most students enrolled in Grades 11 and 12 are 16 to 17 year-olds. They are minors. The protocol we are partly to ensure that persons who have not attained the age of 18 years old are not compulsorily recruited into the armed forces,” paliwanag pa ni Hontiveros.

Nababahala rin ang senadora sa ilalaang pondo para sa R0TC na dagdag gastusin sa mga magulang na nahaharap na sa kasalukuyan sa K12 program.

“There are around 11,000 high schools in the country. How do we overcome the financial burden of institutionalizing ROTC in all these high schools? How can we assure the public of proper implementation when we can barely sustain our K to 12 program?” aniya pa.

Sa halip umanong gawing mandatory ang ROTC ay dapat na gawin itong opsyonal.