INTRODUCTION TO NSTP

(1 Hour)

Introduction:
National service programs are a global phenomenon. Contrary to the claims of vocal
opponents to compulsory service, the nation that recognizes civic duty, through one form of
mandatory service or another, span the political, economic and cultural spectrum.
In keeping with the concept of national service, the 1987 Philippine Constitution
enshrined in its Declaration of Principles that the Filipinos are duty-bound to protect the country
and, as such, they may be subjected to undergo service programs. This requirement is premised
on the constitutional provision, which provides that, “The prime duty of the Government is to
serve and protect the people. The Government may call upon the people to defend the state, and
in fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be required, under conditions provided by law, to render
personal military or civil service”. (Art. II, Sec. 4, ThePhilippine Constitution)
Along this line of thought, the same Constitution, under its State Policies prescribes the
involvement of the young generation in the community affairs in order to secure the nation.
Article II, Section 13, is clear, to wit: “The State recognizes the vital role of the youth in nation-
building and shall promote and protect their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and social
well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism and nationalism, and encourage their
involvement in public and civic affairs.

Modular UNIT I
THE NATIONAL SERVICE TRAINING PROGHRAM
At the end of this modular unit, you are expected to:
1. Explain the history and significance of the NSTP in the purview of national security and
development.
2. Appreciate the value of NSTP as citizenship training
3. Support NSTP-related activities

Overview
The Philippine Constitution provides that the defense of the state is a prime duty
of the government and the people, and in fulfillment of this duty, all citizens may be
required by law to render personal military or civil service. It further states that it is the
duty of the citizen to contribute to our country’s development in the attainment and
preservation of a just and orderly society. The National service Training Program (NSTP)
Act of 2001 mandates all citizens, both male and female, to fulfill this civic duty.
Responding to the urgent needs of our developing country today and in the
foreseeable future, it is equally vital to develop and enhance civic consciousness among
 the young generation to ensure national security and development. NSTP, therefore,
enables the youth, as the most valuable resource of the Filipino nation, to be motivated,
developed and utilized in regard to their responsibilities as citizens and in fulfillment of
their civil obligations.
Discussion:

Input No. 1: The Evolution of the National Service Training Program

The imposition of the national program for service and training of the youth in the
Philippines began with the creation of Commonwealth Act No.1, otherwise known as the
National Defense Act. It is a legislative act providing basis for the national defense of the
country, punishing certain violations thereof, appropriating funds therefore and for other
purposes under the government of President Manuel L. Quezon in 1935. The same law that
required college students, particularly males, to finish two years, equivalent to 4 semesters, of
military training as a modality to institutionalize the reservist system in the Philippines national
defense.

In 1980, the National Act was amended to give existence to Presidential Decree No. 1706,
otherwise known as the National Service Law. It mandated compulsory National Service Law .It
was composed of three main program components namely: Civic Welfare Service (CWS), Law
Enforcement Service (LES), and Military Service (MS). College students were given an option
to choose one from among these components in a compliance with this requirement for tertiary
education.

The implementation of the National Service Law, except the provision of the
Military Service was suspended by Presidential Memorandum Order No. 1 under in the
incumbency of former President Corazon Aquino, paving the way for the conceptualization of
the basic Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC), embodied under Republic Act NO. 7077
(The Citizen Armed Forces of The Philippines Reservist Law), effective school year 1986-
1987.

The ROTC program aimed to realize the constitutional mandate of developing a strong
civilian base to supplement the professional military in the nation’s defense system. It was
designed to initiate the ROTC trainees in the rudiments of soldier ship, instilling in them
discipline and correct deportment. The objective of the said program was to train all able-bodied
tertiary students for military sills in case of war. It cannot be disputed, however, that the law on
mandatory military training for male Filipino students that existed for more than sixty (60) years
was tainted with anomalies and irregularities in the advent of the post-Marcos era that
culminated to the unprecedented death of UST ROTC cadet officer Mark Welson Chuafor
alleged anomalies of some erring ROTC officials in 2001, thus, defeating the purpose upon
which this military training program was anchored in.

As a way to offer an alternative in neutralizing people’s aversion to this military program

during the school year 2001-2002, ROTC was only made optional under the National Service
Program (NSP), conceiving the so-called Expanded ROTC (E-ROTC) characterized by deviation
from the rigid tactical training offering alternatives like rendering civil auxiliary sources in the
form of helping maintain law and order, assisting socio-economic development projects and
delivery of basic health services or aiding in addressing local insurgency.

In view of the options, it gave the students the choice, among the following components,
Military Service (MS), Civic Welfare Service (CWs) and Law Enforcement Service (LES).

Many, if not all of the Higher Education Institutions, found the enforcement of NSP
confusing and unmanageable though. Hence, in December 2001, the NSTP Act, envisioned to
address public clamor for reforms in the ROTC and NSTP Programs, was signed into law by
then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as an aggressive modality toward making the former
national service training that is military in nature, relevant to the changing needs of the time.

The main objective of NSTP is to stress the significant role played by youth, male and
female alike, in the task of developing our nation via national service training. As such, it aims to
develop the youth to become civic or military leaders and volunteers through a modified, re-
structured and reinforced training package whom could be called upon by the nation in case their
services are needed and in the event of disasters or emergencies.

Compared with ROTC, the NSTP Act ensured that three components _ Civic Welfare
Training Service (CWTS), Literacy Training Service (LTS), and Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps (ROTC), are given the same and equal implementation in educational institutions.
Moreover, it defined the different NSTP components, the duration of the training, coverage and
others.

The non-military program components of NSTP, that is, the CWTS and LTS are
committed to strengthening the values and traits of the youth, improving skills and knowledge on
various endeavors, developing interest in community service and making them responsible for
peace and development to ensure harmony and growth in the Filipino communities

Input No. 2: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about NSTP

1. What is the National Service Training Program Law? The National Service Training
Program (NSTP) Law as embodied in Republic Act 9163 is a program aimed at enhancing
civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth developing the ethics of service
and patriotism while undergoing training in any of its three (3) program components
specifically designed to enhance the youth’s active contribution to the general welfare.
2. What are the Program components of the NSTP?
a. The Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) is designed to provide military
training to tertiary level students in order to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize
them for national defense preparedness.
b. The Literacy Training Service (LTS) is designed to train the students to teach
literacy and numeracy skills to school children, out of school youth and other
segments of society in need of their services.
c. The Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS) refers to activities contributory to the
general welfare and the betterment of life for the members of the community or the
 enhancement of its facilities, especially those developed to improving health,
education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and moral of the
citizenry and other social welfare services.
3. Who shall take the NSTP? All incoming freshmen students, male and female, enrolled in
any baccalaureate and in at least two (2) year technical-vocational or associate courses, are
required to complete one (1) NSTP component of their choice as a graduation requirement
4. How Will the NSTP be taken up? Each of the NSTP components shall be undertaken for
an academic period of two (2) semesters and credited for three (3) units per semesters with
54 to 90 training hours per semesters.
5. What if the NSTP cannot be taken up during the regular semester? A one (1)
summer-program in lieu of the two (2) semester-program may be designed, formulated
and adopted by DND, CHED and TESDA subject to capability of the school and the AFP
to handle the same.
6. What if the NSTP program component chosen by the student is not offered in his/her
school? Schools that do not meet the required number of students in order to conduct a
program component or do not offer the component chosen by their students shall allow
them to cross-enroll to other schools irrespective of whether they are managed by different
AFP branches of service.These students however, shall be subjected to the existing rules
and regulations of their original school and the accepting school.
7. Are currently-enrolled students covered by the NSTP? Male students currently
enrolled but have taken any program component of the previous Expanded ROTC (E-
ROTC)/ National Service Program (NSP) are covered by the NSTP.
8. Will a student who has completed all the academic requirements of his course except
ROTC be allowed to graduate? A student who has completed all his academic
requirements except for ROTC will be allowed to graduate provided that he is a certified
candidate by the school on or before the effectivity of the NSTP which is March 23, 2002.
9. What if a male student has completed two semesters of E-ROTC/NSP? He is deemed
to have complied with the NSTP requirement.
10. What if a male student has only taken one (1) semesters of Basic ROTC and E-
ROTC/NSP? He shall take one more semester of any of the NSTP components to qualify
for graduation.
11. What will become of NSTP Graduates? Graduates of the non-ROTC components shall
belong to the National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC) that could be tapped by the State
for the literacy and civic welfare activities. Graduates of the ROTC component shall form
only part of the AFP Citizen Armed Force, subject to DND requirements.
12. How can a student continue to qualify for enlistment in the AFP Reserved Force?
He/she may qualify for enlistment in the AFP Reserved Force as long as he/she has
completed the two (2) semesters of Basic ROTC.
13. How much fee will be charge for an NSTP component? No fees shall be collected for
any of the NSTP component except basic tuition fees, which should not be more than fifty
percent (50%) of the charges of the school per academic unit.
14. What student incentives can be provided by the NSTP component? The following
incentives are to be provided when they take up NSTP: A program
of assistance/incentives for ROTC students from DND which will be in accordance with
existing laws and regulations and subject to the availability of funds.
School authorities concerned,
 CHED and TESDA shall ensure that health and accident group insurances are provided to
students enrolled in any of the NSTP components.

A Special Program for qualified NSTP shall be administrated by CHED and TESDA
subject to the availability of funds.
15. Who is responsible for supervising the NSTP? School authorities shall exercise
academic and administrative supervision over the design, formulation, adoption and
implementation of the different NSTP components in their respective schools.
In the case of ROTC, the
School Authorities and DND shall exercise joint supervision over its implementation.

16. What lead agencies will monitor the implementation of the NSTP? CHED Regional
Offices and the DND-AFP through the major Service Reserve Commands and their ROTC
Units shall oversee if the trainings conducted are in consonance with the Republic Act.
17. Is the NSTP available in all Schools and Universities? All higher and Technical
Vocational Educational Institution shall be offering at least one (1) of the NSTP
components and at least one other NSTP component.

References:
R.A. 9163, NSTP IRR, NSRC IRR,

www.slideshare.com/nstp