Module 1 – NSTP Program R.A.

9163 the

provisions of the Act

LEARNING
OBJECTIVES
After studying this module, you as a NSTP
Graduates should be able to:
REPUBLIC ACT 9163
1. Differentiate the three components of NSTP;
2. Identify the teaching learning experiences
cantered in the NSTP subject;
January 23, 2002 will be remembered in the
3. Understand the legal basis of NSTP;
Philippine history as the birth date of the long sought
4. Develop a sense of appreciation regarding
reforms in the Reserve Officers Training Corps
the implementing rules and regulations of
(ROTC). This is in response to the clamor of
the NSTP; and
parents, students and the academe for the
5. Recite explicitly the different Rules and
amendment of the program. Republic Act 9163 was
sections embodied in the NSTP Act of 2001.
put into law creating the National Service Training
Program, which took effect in SY 2002-2003. This
is a landmark legislation as it superseded three laws
TOPIC
in a span of 65 years.
OUTLINE

1. Republic Act 9163

2. Program Implementation Evolution of NSTP

Commonwealth Act No. 1 or National Defense

OVERVIEW
Pursuant to Section 12 of Republic Act No.
9163, otherwise known as the National Service
Training Program (NSTP) Act 2001, the Commission
on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education
and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the
Department of National Defense (DND), in
consultation with concerned government agencies,
the Philippine Association of State Universities and
College (PASUC), the coordinating Council of Private
Education Association of the Philippines
(COCOPEA), Non-Government Organizations and
recognized student organizations, hereby jointly
issue, adopt and promulgate the following
implementing rules and regulations to implement
Act of 1935 (December 21, 1935) provides for the
first legal basis for national defense training among
students. Sec. 35 of the law, as amended, provides
for the establishment and maintenance of ROTC
program in colleges and universities as this will
provide a pool of reservist for military service.
After 45 years another ROTC law was passed with
some modifications. Presidential Decree 1706,
better known as the National Service Law which
was made into a law on August 8, 1980. It was the
first specific measure towards alternative services,
such as non-military options. The law recognizes
“the citizens of our country particularly the youth as
the most valuable resource of our nation” and,

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therefore, they need to be motivated, trained,
developed, organized, mobilized, and utilized in
regard to their responsibilities as citizens. The law
was not fully implemented.
The said NSTP Law is an aggressive measure
toward making the former military service program
relevant to the needs of the present generation.

Batas Pambansa Bilang 232, also called the

Education of 1982, reiterates that it is the duty and
responsibility of students to “participate actively in
civic affairs and be involved in the promotion of the
general welfare particularly in the social, economic
and cultural development of the community”.
The 1987 Constitution provides a stronger legal
basis for a non-traditional ROTC program. Art. II,
Sec. 4 of the fundamental law states, “The prime
duty of the Government is to serve and protect the
people in return, the government may call upon the
people to defend the State and, in the fulfillment
thereof, all citizens may be required, under
conditions provided by law, to render personal,
military, or civil service”.
Republic Act 7077 also known as the AFP
Reservist Act of 1991, added flesh to the innovative
skeletal framework of the fundamental law. It
provides for mandatory military training for student
enrolled in colleges, universities and similar
institutions of learning. Sec 63 specifies the need for
reservist to render either civic auxiliary service or
military auxiliary service. It was likewise not fully
implemented.
REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9163
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
The Three Components of NSTP
1. Reserve Officers Training Corps -
ROTC
2. Literacy Training Service - LTS
3. Civic Welfare Training Service - CWTS
GUIDING PRINCIPLE
The prime duty of the government is to
serve and protect the citizens and in turn it shall be
the responsibility of all the 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.

Republic Act No. 9163 otherwise known as the

National Service Training Program Act of 2001
was created to amend the first ROTC program. It
refers to a program aimed at enhancing the civic
consciousness and defense preparedness of the youth
by developing their ethics of service and patriotism
while undergoing training in any of the components.

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 Recognizing the role of the youth 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 the ideals of patriotism, and
nationalism, and advance their involvement in public
and civic affairs.
They shall be motivated, trained, organized
and involved in military, literacy, civic welfare
programs and other similar endeavors in the service
of the nation.
DEFINITION OF TERMS:
1. Civic Welfare Training Service [CWTS] –
This refers to a program 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.
2. Literacy Training Service [LTS] – refers
to the program component designed to train
the students to become teachers of literacy
and numeracy skills to school children,
out-of-school youths and other segments
of society in need of their services.
3. Reserve Officers Training Corps [ROTC]
– refers to the program component,
institutionalized under section 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.
4. Program Component – refers to the service
components of the NSTP
5. Clustering - refers to the grouping of
student’s enrolled in different schools and
taking up the same NSTP component into
one group under the management and
supervision of a designated school.
6. Cross Enrollment – refers to a system of
enrollment where a student is officially
enrolled in an academic program of a school
but is allowed to enroll in the NSTP
component of another school
7. Non-Government Organization – refers to
any private organization duly accredited by
CHED or recognized by TESDA
Clustering and Cross-Enrollment
Clustering of students from different education
institutions during semester periods may be done or
any of the NSTP components.
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 students, shall allow their
students to cross-enroll to other schools, whether the
said school is under CHED or TESDA, for students
taking the ROTC whether the two semesters shall be
taken from different schools as long it is
administered/managed by different branches of
service of the AFP.
Students who cross-enroll shall be subject to the
existing rules and regulations of the school of origin
and the accepting school.
PROGRAM
IMPLEMENTATION
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WHO ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE ONE
NSTP COMPONENT OF THEIR CHOICE AS
A GRADUATION REQUIREMENT
a. All incoming freshmen students, male and
female, starting enrolled in any
baccalaureate and at least two-year
technical-vocational or associate courses,
are required to complete one NSTP
component of their choice, as a graduation
requirement.
b. Each NSTP program components shall be
undertaken for an academic period of two
(2) semesters. It shall also be taken in one
summer program in lieu of the two (2)
semester’s program.
c. All higher and technical vocational
educational institutions, public and private,
must offer at least one of the NSTP
components.
d. State Universities and Colleges [SUC’s],
shall offer the ROTC component and at least
one other NSTP component.
e. The Philippine Military Academy (PMA),
Philippine Merchant Academy (PMMA),
Philippine National Police Academy
(PNPA), and other SUC’s of similar nature,
are exempted from NSTP in view of the
special character of this institutions.
f. Private higher 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)
CHED – Commission on Higher
Education
TESDA – Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority
DND – Department of National Defense
PASUC – Philippine Association of State
Universities and Colleges
COCOPEA – Coordinating Council of Private
Educational Association of the
Philippines
g. Fees and Incentives and Scholarship -
Higher and Technical Vocational
Institutions shall collect basic tuition fee not
more than fifty percent (50%) of what is
currently charged by schools per unit. In
case of 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 authorities concerned, CHED
and TESDA shall ensure that group
insurance for health and accident shall be
provided for students enrolled in any of the
NSTP components.
What will become of NSTP graduates?
Graduates of the non-ROTC components
shall belong to the National Service Reserve
Corps (NSRC), which could be tapped by the
state for literacy and civic welfare activities.
Graduates of the ROTC component shall form
part of the AFP Citizen Armed Force, subject to
DND requirements.
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Guidelines for the Establishment of the National
Service Reserve Corps (NSRC)
Sec. 11 of RA 9163 or the National Service
Training Program Act 2001 specifically provides for
the creation of a National Service Reserve Corps,
composed of graduates of the non-ROTC
Components; the Civic Welfare Training Service,
Literacy Training Service. Members of this Corps
may be tapped by the State for literacy and civic
welfare activities, through the joint efforts of DND,
CHED, and TESDA.
The National Service Reserve Corps [NSRC]
The NSRC shall be composed of the
graduates of the Civic welfare Training Service
(CWTS) and Literacy Training Service (LTS)
components of the NSTP.
Organization
The NSRC is organized under the umbrella
of the National Disaster Coordinating
Council (NDCC). It shall have a national,
regional, provincial and city/municipal level
of organization parallel to the Disaster
Coordinating Council (DCC) structures
levels.

A. Mission
LEARNING
ACTIVITY 1
To provide a trained and motivated
manpower pool that can be tapped by the State for
Answer the following questions in a
civic welfare, literacy and other similar endeavors in
piece of paper or in a form of a document word.
the service of nation.
1. Enumerate 9 teaching learning experience
centered in the NSTP subject.
B. Functions
2.If the government has the prime duty to serve
and protect its citizen, in return, and as a youth,
1. To assist in the disaster preparedness,
mitigation, response and rehabilitation what is your responsibility to the state?
programs.
2. To serve as an auxiliary to the Disaster 3.The government gives emphasis and
Coordinating Council (DCC) response importance to the youth in nation building ?
units
3. To assist in the promotion of civic welfare
activities
4. To assist in the implementation of literacy
programs
5. To assist in socio-economic development
6. To assist in environmental protection
7. To perform other similar endeavors

C. Composition SUMMARY

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 The National Service Training Program 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. These various component are
specially designed to enhance the youths
active contribution to the general welfare
that include : the Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps, the Civic Welfare Training Service,
and the Literacy Training Service.

This special program is designed for the

general welfare and the betterment of life for
the members of the community as well as
the enhancement of its facilities, especially
those devoted to improving health,
education, environment, entrepreneurship,
safety, recreation and moral of the citizenry
and other social services.

REFERENCES

Prepared by:

JERRY J. DICHOSO
PROGRAM HEAD, NSTP

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