inclusive, except those specifically exempted” for
NSTP 1
Input 1: History of NSTP
Prior to National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act
of 2001, several legal precedents have been enacted to
address the need of national defense, security, and
general welfare of the state. These includes:
COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 1
For most Philippine military historians, real
ROTC in the Philippines did not start until 1912, when
the Philippine Constabulary started conducting military
instruction at the University of the Philippines. Thus, the
first ROTC unit in the country was established in the
University of the Philippines and instruction started on
July 3, 1922. Other institutions then formed their
respective ROTC units including National University,
Ateneo de Manila, Liceo de Manila, & Colegio de San
Juan de Letran. These units remained independent of
each other until 1936, when the Office of the
Superintendent, ROTC Units, Philippine Army, was
activated to administer, supervise and control, as well as
to supply, all ROTC units that existed throughout the
country.
On December 21, 1935, Commonwealth Act No.
1, otherwise known as the "National Defense Act of
1935” enacted by the National Assembly of the
Philippines on 21 December 1935 signed by Former
President Manuel L. Quezon., provided the legal basis for
the conduct of ROTC instruction in the country and
provided a purpose to create an Independent Philippine
Military. As further supported with Executive Order
(EO) 207, S. 1939, it states that “all colleges and
universities and similar institutions of learning having a
total enrolment of one hundred students or more, upon
proper receipt of notification from the Chief of Staff,
Philippine Army, shall include a course of military
instruction, commonly known as ROTC Course as a
compulsory portion of their respective curricula for all
physically fit male citizens of undergraduate status, and
shall faithfully conduct the course in accordance with the
policies and regulations approved by the President of the
Philippines.” In the year 1941 around 33 colleges and
universities nationwide were able to maintained ROTC
units. However, with the onset of World War II, all units
were closed.
National Defense Act of 1935 stipulates the
obligation to undergo military training which shall begin
with youth in school, commencing at the age of ten (10)
years until he shall reach the age of twenty-one (21)
years when he shall become subject to service with the
colors. If at eighteen to twenty-one years of age the youth
is not attending any school or college, he shall enter the
Junior Reserve subject to the exemptions prescribed in
section eighty-seven of this Act. This training prior to
service shall be termed "Preparatory Military Training”.
It mandates “all able-bodied male citizens between the
ages of twenty (20) years and fifty-one (51) years, both
obligatory military service. (Commonwealth Act No. 1 |
GOVPH, 1935)
PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1706
Commonwealth Act No. 1 known as National
Defense Act of 1935 was then amended by President
Ferdinand Marcos on 8 August 1980 with Presidential
Decree (PD) No. 1706 otherwise known as the National
Service Law. The law made National Service compulsory
to Filipino citizens to any of the three (3) categories of
national service: civic welfare service; law enforcement
service; and military service. Terms referred to
Commonwealth Act 1 was also amended in PD 1706
such as: from “military service” to “national service” and
from “military training” to “training to national service”.
REPUBLIC ACT 7077
In June 27, 1991, Republic Act 7077 otherwise
known as the Citizen Armed Forces or Armed Forces of
the Philippines Reservist Act was enacted into law. It
provided for the organization, administration, training,
maintenance, and utilization of the citizen armed force or
the armed forces of the Philippines and for other
purposes. It mandated the establishment of the Reserve
Officers’ Training Corps Units in schools.
Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) was
implemented on the following basis:
a) Section 4, Article II of the 1987 Philippine
Constitution which states 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 the fulfillment thereof, all citizens may be
required, under conditions provided by law, to render
personal, military or civil service;” and
b) Presidential Decree No. 1706 otherwise known as the
National Service Law which provided for compulsory
National Service for Filipino Citizens.
In 1995, an expanded ROTC was conceptualized.
When the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of
RA 7077 were promulgated the voluntary nature of
ROTC was integrated. All baccalaureate students were
required to enroll in the military training service
component of the Expanded ROTC but after completing
the two (2) semesters of Military Training Service
(MTS), the student was given the choice to continue and
attend another two (2) Semesters of MTS or two (2)
semesters each of Law Enforcement Service (LES) and
Civic Welfare Service (CWS) to Qualify for graduation
in their respective Baccalaureate Courses.
REPUBLIC ACT 9163
In 2001, discontent over the implementation of
ROTC has reached its peak. Various demonstrations
were staged due to complaints about its content, conduct,
competence of its training staff and the corruption that
has been going for years. The school administrators
especially the students did not find its relevance
anymore. Protests for the abolition of ROTC became
high and intense when Cadet Sergeant Major Mark
Welson Chua was brutally murdered, allegedly by
members of the University of Santo Tomas (UST)
ROTCU training staff. He was reported to have been
abducted and, three days later, his corpse was found in a
river beside the Jones Bridge in Escolta. Three years
later, his fellow cadet was found guilty and sentenced to
death by the Manila Regional Trial Court.
Various bills were proposed in response to the
protests. With the urgent need to have a new ROTC law.
In 2002, Republic Act No. 9163 established the National
Service Training Program for tertiary level students
passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate of
the Republic of the Philippines on December 19, 2001
and was approved by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
on January 23, 2002. It provided all students with three
(3) service components: Civic Welfare Training Service,
Literacy Training Service, Reserve Officers’ Training
Corps. Its implementation started in the School Year
2002-2003. The passage of Republic Act No. 9163
amended: Commonwealth Act No. 1, P.D. 1706 and R.A
7077.
HOUSE BILL (HB) 8961
The attempt to reinstate the mandatory Reserve
Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program, the House of
Representatives approved on third and final reading
House Bill No. 8961 or the proposed “Reserve Officers’
Training Corps (ROTC) Act,” which seeks to
institutionalize, develop, train, organize and administer
basic ROTC in Grades 11 and 12 in all public and private
educational institutions. According to Rappler’s report,
“the bill has a long way to go, however, as its Senate
version remains pending at the committee level. It would
have to go through successful 2nd and 3rd readings in the
upper chamber before President Rodrigo Duterte may
sign it into law.”
REPUBLIC ACT 9163 (REFER TO ANNEX 1)
The Philippine Congress crafted a new version of
E-ROTC in January 2002. Representative Harlin Abayon
sponsored House Bill 3593 while the late Senator Renato
Cayetano sponsored Senate Bill 1824. Both bills had
been consolidated into the new law known as the
Republic Act 9163 or the National Service Training
Program (NSTP). Former President Gloria Macapagal-
Arroyo signed it on January 23, 2002.
Republic Act 9163 and the NSTP Implementing
Rules and Regulations (IRR) emphasized that it aims at
enhancing civic consciousness and defense preparedness
of the youth by Developing the ethics of service and
patriotism while undergoing training in any of the three
(3) components that are specifically designed to enhance
the youth’s active contribution to the general welfare will
be more significant and productive to their leadership and
social participation. The three components are Literacy
Training Service (LTS), Civic Welfare Training Service
(CWTS) and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps
(ROTC).
Input 2: Salient Features of the
Revised Implementing Rules and
Regulations (IRR) of the NSTP
● The Program of Study (syllabus) and
enrollment forms shall bear the “NSTP” without stating
therein the three components. There shall be an
orientation for all NSTP enrollees to be jointly conducted
by the ROTC, CWTS, and LTS
coordinators/implementers. Students enrolled in the first
semester of the freshmen year shall be made to undergo a
common module phase for 25 hours training period.
Subjects covered are: citizenship training; drug addiction;
disaster awareness, preparedness and management;
environmental protection; and other national security
concerns. Upon completion of the common module
phase, the student must select the specific NSTP service
component that s/he will pursue.
● Earned NSTP units shall not be included in the
computation of Grade Point Average (GPA) grades of
college graduating students.
● Graduates of the non-ROTC components of the
NSTP shall belong to the National Service Reserve Corps
(NSRC) and could be tapped by the state for literacy and
civic welfare activities, especially in times of calamities
through the joint efforts of DND, CHED and TESDA, in
coordination with DILG, DSWD and other concerned
agencies/associations.
● Certificate of Completion with corresponding
serial number issued by CHED, TESDA or DND, shall
be awarded to students who have successfully complied
with the program requirements.
Annex 1 National Service Training
Program (Republic Act 9163) /
January 23, 2002
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
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives
of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
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.
Section 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 in Sec. 4 of this
Act.
Sec. 4. Establishment of the National Service
Training Program. - There is hereby established a
National Service Training Program, 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 option and voluntary upon the effectivity
of this Act;
(2) The Literacy Training Service; and
(3) The Civic 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.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and
Technical Education and Skills 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 in
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 tuition
fees, which shall not be more than fifty percent (50%) of
what is currently charged by schools per unit.
In the case of ROTC, the DND shall formulate and adopt the program component they are currently enrolled or
a program of assistance and/or incentive to those students shift to any of the other program components of their
who will take the said component. choice; Provided, That in case he shifts to another
program component, the Basic ROTC course he has
The school authorities concerned, CHED and TESDA
completed shall be counted for the purpose of completing
shall ensure that group insurance for health and accident
the NSTP requirement; Provided, further, That once he
shall be provided for students enrolled in any of the
has shifted to another program component, he shall
NSTP components.
complete the NSTP in component.
Section 9. Scholarships - There is hereby created
Sec. 14. Suspension of ROTC Requirement -
a Special Scholarship Program for qualified students
The completion of ROTC training as a requisite for
taking the NSTP which shall be administered by the
graduation is hereby set aside for those students who
CHED and TESDA. Funds for this purpose shall be
despite completing all their academic units as of the
included in the annual regular appropriations of the
effectivity of this Act have not been allowed to graduate.
CHED and TESDA.
Sec. 15. Separability Clause - If any section or
Sec. 10. Management of the NSTP
provision of this Act shall be declared unconstitutional or
Components - The school authorities shall exercise
invalid, the other sections or provisions not affected
academic and administrative supervision over the design,
thereby shall remain in full force and effect.
formulation, adoption and implementation of the
different NSTP components in their respective schools; Sec. 16. Amendatory Clause - Sec. 35 of
Provided, That in case a CHED- or TESDA-accredited Commonwealth Act No. 1, Executive Order No.207 of
non-government organization (NGO) has been contracted 1939, Sections 2 and 3 of Presidential Decree No. 1706,
to formulate and administer a training module for any of and Sections 38 and 39 or Republic Act No. 7077, as
the NSTP components, such academic and administrative well as all laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations
supervision shall be exercised jointly with that accredited and other issuances inconsistent with the provisions of
NGO; Provided, further, That such training module shall this Act are hereby deemed amended and modified
be accredited by the CHED and TESDA. accordingly.
The CHED and TESDA regional offices shall oversee Sec. 17. Effectivity - This Act shall take effect
and monitor the implementation of the NSTP under their fifteen (15) days after its publication in two (2)
jurisdiction to determine if the trainings are being newspapers of national circulation, but the
conducted in consonance with the objectives of this Act. implementation of this Act shall commence in the school
Periodic reports shall be submitted to the CHED, TESDA year of 2002-2003.
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 guideline 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 Sec. 14 of this Act, may either continue in