Youth groups and student organizations stage a protest at the Senate of the Philippines in Pasay City on November 4, 2024, as part of what they call the National Day of Action against the Mandatory Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (MROTC).

Other protest actions were announced to be held at De La Salle University and other schools along Taft Avenue, Manila, Ateneo de Manila University in Katipunan, Quezon City, University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University in the university belt area in Manila.

The protesters are against the fast-tracking of MROTC that “reflects the state’s fascist response to the education crisis that the country is facing.” They said, “militarization inside the campus are classic schemes of the government to integrate their culture of abuse and violence against students.”

They called on the government to “junk MROTC and take accountability for the human rights violations made by state forces, especially the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the NTF-ELCAC.

The Ecumenical youth group Student Christian Movement of the Philippines (SCMP) said they joined the action “in order to protest against the railroading of mandatory ROTC at the Senate in which today is the resumption of the session.”

In a press statement, SCMP said “last September 29, 2024, Senator Francis Tolentino said in a radio interview that President Ferdinand Marcos has certified urgent the proposal, citing a few reasons, most especially in dealing with the West Philippine Sea issue.”

“We believe that Mandatory ROTC is affront to Christian principles as this violates the dignity of the Filipino youth,” SCMP National Chairperson Kej Rodrigo Andrés said.

“May we remind the senators that the reason why this is optional at the moment is because of the death of University of Santo Tomas’ cadet, Mark Welson Chua in 2001 where his body was found along Pasig River, days after he divulged systematic corruption in the program,” Andres said.

SCMP said they also “expect that Mandatory ROTC will also worsen the state of campus and press freedom within schools.”

“An established military presence will subject students and their supposed academic freedoms into surveillance, especially that the youth have been subject to red-tagging by military elements,” Andres said.

“There are many ways to serve the country and there are diplomatic means to settle the West Philippine Sea issue; the youth must not be sacrificial lambs to a war that we do not want when we can serve the country and advocate for peaceful resolution of conflict,” Andres explained.

“We must do every effort for peace and mutual edification, every effort possible will be continued to be exerted in order to strengthen the NSTP program and to oppose the railroading of Mandatory ROTC in order to keep schools as safe zones for students,” Andres ended.

TEXT AND PHOTOS BY LEI VENTENILLA for Mata: Asia Press Photo