MANILA — The Department of National Defense (DND) has requested the Senate to proceed cautiously on the bill reintroducing mandatory ROTC, citing potential annual costs of around P8 billion, with a total of P27 billion projected by 2029, Senate President Francis Escudero revealed.
Escudero shared that this was discussed in a meeting with Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro and officials from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Wednesday.
“According to Secretary Teodoro, implementing the program fully would cost over P8 billion annually and around P27 billion by 2029.
If you look at it, that’s a significant amount that could instead be allocated to our state universities and colleges,” Escudero said.
The AFP also highlighted existing challenges, with a backlog of reservists from the National Service Training Program (NSTP) still awaiting accommodation.
“They don’t want a repeat of what happened before, where ROTC graduates were assigned jobs in every school,” Escudero added. He explained that the AFP is concerned about absorbing the graduates, given the limited resources.
Escudero detailed some of the expected expenses for the program, including combat boots, uniforms, stipends, and training supplies. “The breakdown is available.
It includes costs for uniforms, allowances for trainees, and other logistics. It’s not something that can be implemented in just a year; it would take three years for full implementation,” he explained.
The total cost of implementing mandatory ROTC is estimated to exceed P27 billion, according to a Senate President handout.
Expenses would cover billeting, student travel allowances, professional fees, administrative requirements, and various gear for trainees.
Escudero pointed out the need to carefully weigh the financial burden of the program against other national priorities, especially in sectors like health, education, and social services.
“Is there really P8 billion to spare for ROTC? There are many other areas where we need that funding,” he questioned.
He also noted that the DND is pushing for a disaster preparedness focus under the NSTP instead of ROTC. “The DND, through Secretary Teodoro, prefers integrating it with the Office of Civil Defense for disaster preparedness, which would be more aligned with the NSTP rather than ROTC,” Escudero said.
Despite concerns, Escudero acknowledged that the bill has enough support to pass the Senate. He also shared the DND’s suggestion to separate AFP from other uniformed personnel in the military pension reform bill, which lawmakers are expected to review before the end of the 19th Congress.
Additionally, the Senate President discussed Teodoro’s ideas for funding military pension reforms, including the monetization of unused AFP properties and the sale of bonds.
The DND is also pushing for the AFP Modernization Program budget to be removed from unprogrammed funds, allowing for direct access to the allocated P25 billion.