Life of Mark Welson Chua

Mark Welson Chua (died sometime between 15–18 March 2001) was a Filipino
student of the University of Santo Tomas whose death is widely believed to be linked to
his exposé of alleged irregularities in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps unit of the
university.

BACKGROUND
Chua took his elementary and high school education at Saint Jude
Catholic School and his college education at the University of Santo Tomas. As a
member of the ROTC unit's intelligence monitoring team, he had first-hand knowledge
of corruption within the organization, which he and another student, Romulo Yumol,
divulged to UST's official student publication The Varsitarian in January 2001. This
resulted in the relief of then-commandant Major Demy Tejares and his staff.

DEATH
Chua received death threats after his revelations. The new ROTC
commandant advised him to undergo security training at Fort Bonifacio. On 15 March
2001, he was supposed to meet with an agent but he was never seen alive again. Three
days later his decomposing body, wrapped in a carpet, was found floating in the Pasig
River near the Jones Bridge. His hands and feet were tied and his face wrapped in cloth
and packing tape. The autopsy report showed that sludge was in his lungs, indicating
that he was alive when he was thrown into the river.[1] In order to mislead investigators,
his abductors had pretended to demand ransom from the Chua family.

ACCUSED
Arnulfo Aparri, Jr. Eduardo Tabrilla Paul Joseph Tan Michael Von Rainard
Manangbao. Arnulfo Aparri, Jr. sentenced to death; commuted to life imprisonment.
Eduardo Tabrilla was sentenced to 6-14 years imprisonment. Paul Joseph Tan and
Michael Von Rainard Manangbao remain at large; issued arrest warrants by court.

[REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9163]

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This Act shall be known as the “National Service Training

Program (NSTP) Act of 2001”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby affirmed the prime duty of the government

to serve and protect its citizens, In turn, it shall be the responsibility of all citizens to
defend the security of the State and in fulfillment thereof, the government may require

each citizen to render personal, military or civil service.

Recognizing the youth’s vital role in nation-building, the State shall promote civic

consciousness among the youth and shall develop their physical, moral, spiritual,

intellectual and social well-being. It shall inculcate in the youth patriotism, nationalism,

and advance their involvement in public and civic affairs.

In pursuit of these goals, the youth, the most valuable resource of the nation, shall be

motivated, trained, organized and mobilized in military training, literacy, civic welfare and

other similar endeavors in the service of the nation.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — For purposes of this Act, the following are hereby

defined as follows:

(a) “National Service Training Program (NSTP)” is a program aimed at enhancing 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. Its various components are specially designed to enhance the youth’s

active contribution to the general welfare.

(b) “Reserve-Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC)” is a program institutionalized under

Sections 38 and 39 of Republic Act No. 7077 designed to provide military training to

tertiary level students in order to motivate, train, organize and mobilize them for national

defense preparedness.
(c) “Literacy Training Service” is a program designed to train students to become

teachers of literacy and numeracy skills to school children, out of school youth, and

other segments of society in need of their service.

(d) “Civic Welfare Training Service” refers to programs or 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 devoted to improving health, education,

environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and morals of the citizenry.

(e) “Program component” shall refer to the service components of the NSTP as

enumerated on Section 4 of this Act.

SEC. 4. Establishment of the National Service Training Program. — There is hereby

established a National Service Training Program (NSTP), which shall form part of the

curricula of all baccalaureate degree courses and of at least two (2)-year

technical-vocational courses and is a requisite for graduation, consisting of the following

service components:

(1) The Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), which is hereby made optional and

voluntary upon the effectivity of this Act;

(2) The Literacy Training Service; and

(3) The Civil Welfare Training Service.

The ROTC under the NSTP shall instill patriotism, moral virtues, respect for rights of

civilians, and adherence to the Constitution, among others. Citizenship training shall be

given emphasis in all three (3) program components.

Development Authority (TESDA), in consultation with the Department of National

Defense (DND), Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC),

Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines

(COCOPEA) and other concerned government agencies, may design and implement

such other program components as may be necessary in consonance with the

provisions of this Act.

SEC. 5. Coverage. — Students, male and female, of any baccalaureate degree course

or at least two (2)-year technical-vocational courses in public and private educational

institutions shall be required to complete one (1) of the NSTP components as requisite

for graduation.

SEC. 6. Duration and Equivalent Course Unit. — Each of the aforementioned NSTP

program components shall be undertaken for an academic period of two (2) semesters.

In lieu of the two (2)-semester program for any of the components of the NSTP, a one

(1) summer program may be designed, formulated and adopted by the DND, CHED and

TESDA.

SEC. 7. NSTP Offering in Higher and Technical-Vocational Educational Institutions. —

All higher and technical-vocational institutions, public and private, must offer at least

one of the program components: Provided, That State universities and colleges shall

offer the ROTC component and at least one other component as provided herein:

Provided, further, That private higher and technical-vocational education institutions

may also offer the ROTC if they have at least three hundred and fifty (350) cadet

students.
In offering the NSTP whether during the semestral or summer periods, clustering of

affected students from different educational institutions may be done, taking into

account logistics, branch of service and geographical considerations. Schools that do

not meet the required number of students to maintain the optional ROTC and any of the

NSTP components shall allow their students to cross-enroll to other schools irrespective

of whether or not the NSTP components in said schools are being administered by the

same or another branch of service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), CHED

and TESDA to which schools are identified.

SEC. 8. Fees and Incentives. — Higher and technical-vocational institutions shall not

collect any fee for any of the NSTP components except basic institution fees, which

shall not be more than fifty percent (50%) of what is currently charged by schools per

unit.

In the case of the ROTC, the DND shall formulate and adopt a program of assistance

and/or incentive to those students who will take the said component.

The school authorizes concerned, the CHED and TESDA shall ensure that group

insurance for health and accident shall be provided for students enrolled in any of the

NSTP components.

SEC. 9. Scholarships. — There is hereby created a Special Scholarship Program for

qualified students taking the NSTP which shall be administered by the CHED and

TESDA. Funds for this purpose shall be included in the annual regular appropriations of

the CHED and TESDA.

SEC. 10. Management of the NSTP Components. — The school authorities shall

exercise academic and administrative supervision over the design, formulation, and
adoption and implementation of the different NSTP components in their respective

schools: Provided, That in case a CHED- or TESDA-accredited non-government

organization (NGO) has been contracted to formulate and administer a training module

for any of the NSTP components, such academic and administrative supervision shall

be exercised jointly with that accredited NGO: Provided, further, That such training

module shall be accredited by the CHED and TESDA.

The CHED and TESDA regional offices shall oversee and monitor the implementation of

the NSTP under their jurisdiction to determine if the trainings are being conducted in

consonance with the objectives of this Act. Periodic reports shall be submitted to the

CHED, TESDA and DND in this regard.

SEC. 11. Creation of the National Service Reserve Corps. — There is hereby created a

National Service Reserve Corps, to be composed of the graduates of the non-ROTC

components. Members of this Corps may be tapped by the State for literacy and civic

welfare activities through the joint effort of the DND, CHED and TESDA.

Graduates of the ROTC shall form part of the Citizens’ Armed Force, pursuant to

Republic Act No. 7077.

SEC. 12. Implementing Rules. — The DND, CHED and TESDA shall have the joint

responsibility for the adoption of the implementing rules of this Act within sixty (60) days

from the approval of this Act.

These three (3) agencies shall consult with other concerned government agencies, the

PASUC and COCOPEA, NGOs and recognized student organizations in drafting the

implementing rules.
The implementing rules shall include the guidelines for the adoption of the appropriate

curriculum for each of the NSTP components as well as for the accreditation of the

same.

SEC. 13. Transitory Provisions. — Students who have yet to complete the Basic ROTC,

except those falling under Section 14 of this Act, may either continue in the program

component they are currently enrolled or shift to any of the other program components

of their choice: Provided, That in case he shifts to another program component, the

Basic ROTC courses he has completed shall be counted for the purpose of completing

the NSTP requirement: Provided, further, That once he has shifted to another program

component, he shall complete the NSTP in that component.

SEC. 14. Suspension of ROTC Requirement. — The completion of ROTC training as

requisite for graduation is hereby set aside for those students who despite completing

all their academic units as of the effectivity of this Act have not been allowed to

graduate.

SEC. 15. Separability Clause. — If any section or provision of this Act shall be declared

unconstitutional or invalid, the other sections or provisions not affected thereby shall

remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 16. Amendatory Clause. — Section 35 of Commonwealth Act No. 1, Executive

Order No. 207 of 1939, Sections 2 and 3 of Presidential Decree No. 1706, and Sections

38 and 39 of Republic Act No. 7077, as well as all laws, decrees, orders, rules and

regulations and other issuances inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby

deemed amended and modified accordingly.

newspapers of national circulation, but the implementation of this Act commence in the

school year of 2002-2003.