ROTC protest marks Students Day

Left-wing youth groups led a nationwide protest against mandatory Reserve Officers Training Corps for senior high school students to mark National Students Day on Thursday.

In Manila, students from various colleges and universities in the capital marched from the University of Santo Tomas in Sampaloc District to Mendiola which leads to Malacanang in what they call a “unity walk” before airing their concerns through a program.

“Mandatory ROTC will not solve crowded classrooms, lack of facilities, the threat of Covid-19 and other concerns in the resumption of face-to-face classes,” Kabataan Partylist Executive Vice President Renee Louise Co said in a speech during the program.

Meanwhile, in Baguio City, student councils and militant groups reported before the Commission on Higher Education a red-tagging incident during the Cordillera Youth for Peace Convergence in the Cordillera Administrative Region.