BANGUED, Abra — National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Region 1 Director Mildred Abordo said here the resumption of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) will make the youth more involved in community affairs which will further improve their spirit of volunteerism.
Abordo was here over the weekend, along with some volunteers to deliver relief assistance for victims of successive quakes that cause much destruction and misery among local folks.
She said ROTC will develop discipline, volunteerism and care for their fellowmen among the youth which will help mitigate the suffering of victims during calamities.
“If you expose young people to community activities where they see or feel their fellowmen, they will see the importance of making themselves useful not just for themselves, but for others too,” she said on the sidelines of the agency’s turnover of relief goods to the Abra Diocese, to be distributed to quake victims.
Abordo supports the return of ROTC a requirement in school, which she said does not necessarily mean teaching them to hold a weapon or fire a gun.
“Maraming ways para ma-implement ang ROTC program, isa dyan ang pag-expose at pagtuturo paano magresponde at tumulong pag may kalamidad (
“There are many ways on how the ROTC program can be implemented and one is to expose and teach students how to respond and help during calamities,” she said as she belied claims of some sectors that ROTC will teach students to become youth soldiers.
“It’s not true because we had ROTC even before and it did not turn the students into youth soldiers),” she said, adding that creating youth volunteers who care for those in need is the primary purpose of ROTC.
Abordo noted that calamity strikes anytime, anywhere, and having young people with a heart to help will do a lot in mitigating the sufferings of victims. “Discipline, volunteerism and care for others are important lessons taught in ROTC that will help mold the youth to become good citizens,” she said.
