MANILA, Philippines —A Senate panel on Thursday began public hearings into the proposal to make enrollment in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps mandatory for senior high school students.
Senate Basic Education, Arts and Culture's Sen. Win Gatchalian led the joint hearing with the Senate committees on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education; National Defense and Security and Finance, chaired by senators Joel Villanueva, Panfilo Lacson and Sonny Angara, respectively.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier certified as urgent the measure seeking to reinstate the mandatory ROTC program for Grades 11 and 12 students.
The 17th Congress, however, failed to pass the measure due to "lack of time."
The public hearing will also discuss the Citizen Service Act and Youth Patriotism and Bayanihan Act.
Watch the Senate inquiry LIVE which started at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019.