INTRODUCTION TO NSTP

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.
Learning EXERSICES 1.1

Name:___________________________________________________Course:______________Date:_____________

The Evolution of National Service Training Program

Illustrate a diagram that will explain the legal bases and chronology of events in the passage of the RA9163 (NSTP Act of 2001).
20 points
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. 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.