by Miriam G. Desacada
Tacloban City–The 8th Regional Community Defense Group (8RCDG), under the Philippine Army’s Reserve Command of the 8th Infantry Division, had sent 44 athletes of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) from 12 colleges and universities in Eastern Visayas to compete in the First Philippine ROTC Games held in Iloilo City from August 13 to 19.
As the week-long competition already nearing conclusion, Colonel Castor Bahin, commander of the 8RCDG, shared to the local media his optimism that the region’s ROTC delegation will end up with outstanding accomplishments and reap awards in the process.
8RCDG operations officer Lieutenant Colonel Arturo Dumalagan, the designated team manager of the region’s athletes, also expressed confidence that his team has a big chance to clinch championship honors, especially in volleyball and basketball. “May laban tayo,” he told the local media.
The first-ever Philippine ROTC Games, staged at the Iloilo Sports Complex in Iloilo City, consists of seven sporting events: athletics, swimming, boxing, arnis, weightlifting, kickboxing, target shooting, basketball, volleyball, and online games Mobile Legend and Call of Duty.
There was also a beauty pageant to select this year’s Miss ROTC from among the contestants of every ROTC delegation nationwide joining the Games.
The ROTC Games is organized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Senator Francis Tolentino, in collaboration with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Dept. of National Defense and the DILG, and the Phil. Sports Commission.
CHED Chairman Prospero de Vera was earlier quoted by CNN to have said: “This (Games) will prepare young athletes (from ROTC units) for international tournaments and achieve the shared goal of creating grassroots sports program for the youth.”
“ROTC is not just mobilizing young Filipinos during times of peace and war, but it also needs to produce physically fit and healthy individuals,” De Vera said, adding that “sports is one of CHED’s programs to promote human development.”
A press release from the 8th ID’s RCDG stated that the Philippine ROTC Games highlight sports development, discover new talents, and promote ROTC among the youths as part of their vital role in nation-building.
The revival of the mandatory ROTC program in higher education is now nearing legislative approval in Congress, with the recent passage of House Bill 6687 or the National Citizen Service Training (NCST) Bill in the House, after President Bongbong Marcos endorsed it as a priority measure. —Miriam G. Desacada