Maxine Joy C.

Juare BS Accountancy G1
NSTP 1

“Historical and Legal Basis of NSTP”

NSTP stands for the National Service Training Program, it is established by virtue of
the republic act 9163, are a compulsory 1-year course for all freshmen in the
universities and colleges in the country.

HISTORY

According to my research, as early as 1762 in the University of Santo Tomas,

a battalion of young students was organized for military training by Rev. Fr.
Domingo Collantes O.P. together with a royal Spanish army sergeant. These young
men were trained to fight the British troops invading the country. Having displayed
such remarkable courage and spirit versus a far superior army, the king of Spain,
Charles III, bestowed on the students the “regalia” title and the seal of loyalty “muy
leal.” The university, for its part, was also awarded the “royal cedula.”

In the late 90’s the reputation of ROTC has been marred by anomalies with
regards to the process of its implementation. Increasing reports of hazing, grade-
fixing, and other irregularities worried students, parents, and heads of colleges and
universities. It was the death of mark Welson Chua, a second year mechanical
engineering student from the University of Santo Tomas that unleashed the fury on
the irregularities of ROTC. Known to his friends as baron, the 19 year old Mark
Welson Chua was an aspirant to the position of ROTC corp commander. As a class
cadet officer, he observed some anomalous practices at the department of military
science training DMST of university of Santo Tomas. His idealism moved him to
submit his complaint to the university’s administrative officials. While in the process
of investigating and consolidating mark’s, together with other witnesses’ written
testimonies, Prof. Zenaida Famorca, then director of student welfare and
development board under the office for student affairs, one day received a text
message that mark was missing. The message said that he was last seen at the
Tinoko Park together with the other members of his group called Anakbayan in the
evening of March 15, 2001. three days after he was reported missing, mark’s body,
wrapped in a carpet bound by strips of cloth and packaging tape, was fished out of
the Pasig river under the Jones bridge. Investigation was immediately conducted by
the PNP, NBI and the Philippine army. On the 13th June 2004 during the opening
mass of the university, Mark Welson “baron” Chua was given a posthumous award,
the San Lorenzo Ruiz medal of courage, a medal conferred to students who have
shown exceptional and exemplary courage in standing up for the truth and
Thomasian ideals.

The death of mark made the public angry. It scared the parents of the
cadets. It pulled down the marks of the ROTC program to its all-time low so much
that people called for the abolition of ROTC. These events led the legislators to take
immediate action.
 “LEGAL BASIS”

The National Service Training Program (NSTP) Law or RA 9163 also known as
“An Act Establishing the National Service Training Program (NSTP) for tertiary level
students, amending for the purpose Republic Act No. 7077 and Presidential Decree
No. 1706, and for other purposes.” was enacted last January 2002 to amend the
Expanded ROTC. This program aimed to enhance civic consciousness and defense
preparedness in the youth by 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.

Republic Act 7722 is the act creating the Commission on Higher Education
which covers both the public and private institutions of higher education as well as
degree-granting programs in all post-secondary educational institutions, be it public
or private. One of the powers and functions of this act which is in line with the goal
of National Service Training Program [NSTP] is to identify, support and develop
potential centers of excellence in program areas needed for the development of
world-class scholarship, nation building and national development.

In Article 1, section 3 of the RA 9163 states: “it is a program that aims at

enhancing consciousness and defense preparedness in the youth by developing the
ethics of service and patriotism while undergoing training in any of its three 3
program components. Its various components are specially designed to enhance
the youth’s active contribution to the general welfare.”

Here are the three components of the National Service Training Program
(NSTP)

1. Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) - designed to provide military

training to tertiary level students in order to motivate, train, organize and
mobilize them for national defense preparedness. The skills being developed
among the cadets are military leadership, basic combat; map reading,
military intelligence, artillery operations, unconventional warfare, marches
and bivouac training.

2. 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 adevoted to
improving health, education, environmental, enterpreneurship, safety,
recreation and moral of the citizenry and other social welfare services.
Students participate in several community development activities like
shelter-building, tree planting, medical missions and the likes.

3. 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. Students hold tutorials and
other non-formal education related activities in public schools and
underprivileged communities thereby promoting the importance of education
among grade school and high school students, even adults, who were not
given the chance to study.
Covered by the NSTP Law

a. All incoming freshmen students, male, female, starting school year (SY)
2002-2003, 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;

b. All higher and technical-vocational education institutions must at least offer

one (1) of the NSTP components.

c. State universities and colleges (SUC‟s), shall offer the ROTC component and
at least one (1) other NSTP component.

d. The Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Philippine Merchant Marine Academy

(PMMA), Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), and other SUC‟s of
similar nature, in view of the special character of these institutions, are
exempted from the NSTP.

e. Private higher education and technical-vocational education institutions with

at least 350 student cadets may offer the ROTC component and consequently
establish / maintain a Department Of Military Science and Tactics (DMST),
subject to the existing rules and regulations of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP).

Duration and equivalent course unit of each of the NSTP Component

 Each of the NSTP components shall be undertaken for an academic period of
two (2) semesters for 54 to 90 training hours per semester. It shall be
credited for three (3) units per semester.

Fees shall be charged to students taking any of the NSTP components

 No other fees shall be collected except basic tuition fees, which should not be
more than 50% of the charges of the school per academic unit.

Covered by the suspension of the ROTC requirement

 The completion of ROTC training as a requisite for graduation is set aside for
students who have completed all their academic requirements for their
respective courses as certified by the school on or before the effectivity of
the NSTP Act of 2001, which is March 23, 2002. The concerned students may
apply for graduation in their respective schools.

What happens to male students who are currently enrolled and have not
taken nor completed the ROTC requirements for graduation?

a. Male students who are not covered by Section 12 of this Rule and are
currently enrolled but have not taken any of the Military Service (MS), Civic
Welfare Service (CWS) or Law Enforcement Service (LES) shall be covered by
the NSTP Law.
 b. Male students who have completed two semesters of the Expanded ROTC (E-
ROTC) / National Service Program (NSP) are deemed to have complied with
the NSTP requirement.

c. Male students who are not covered by Section 12 of these Rules and have
taken only one (1) semester of Basic ROTC or E-ROTC/NSP shall take any of
the NSTP components to qualify for graduation.

d. Students who want to qualify for enlistment in the Reserve Force or attend
the advance ROTC program shall undertake a special program for this
purpose.

How are Clustering and Cross-Enrollment done?

a. Clustering of students from different education institutions during semestral

or summer periods may be done for any of the NSTP component, taking into
account logistics, branch of service and geographical locations. The host
school shall be responsible in managing the Program.

b. Schools that do not meet the required number of students to maintain the
optional ROTC and any of the NSTP components, or do not offer the
component chosen by the student shall allow their students to cross-enroll in
other schools irrespective of whether such school is under CHED or TESDA;
and in the case the students taking the ROTC component irrespective of
whether the two semesters shall be taken from different schools whose ROTC
is managed by different branches of service of the Armed forces of the
Philippines(AFP).

What is NSTP-One Summer Program (NSTP-OSP)?

 NSTP-OSP is created under RA 9163 or the NSTP Act of 2001, especially

Section 6 and jointly devised, formulated and adopted by DND, CHED and
TESDA. NSTP-OSP is established for the three (3) components: ROTC, CWTS
and LTS. This is intended for graduating students in baccalaureate or at least
two-year technical-vocational or associate courses, who have yet to comply
with the NSTP as a requirement for graduation, as well as for students, thus
allow them to concentrate on the academic subjects and other co- curricular
concerns.

National Service Reserve Corps (NSRC)

 NSRC is created under Section 11 of RA 9163 or the NSTP Act of 2001,

composed of graduates of the non ROTC components: the CWTS and LTS.
Members of this Corps maybe tapped by the State for literacy and civic
welfare activities, through the joint efforts of DND, CHED, and TESDA.
References:

https://www.scribd.com/doc/147956723/What-is-the-Legal-Basis-of-NSTP-Program

https://www.scribd.com/doc/34268988/Nstp-Module-1-Lesson-1

https://www.mapua.edu.ph/Campus%20Life/SOCIP/Assets/CWTS/NSTP

%202019%20Module.pdf