LESSON 2

[REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9163]

AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM (NSTP) FOR THE TERTIARY LEVEL
STUDENTS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7077 PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1706,
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSE

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of
2001”.

SECTION. 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 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 on 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 services and patriotism while undergoing
training in any of its three (3) program components. Its various components are especially 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 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 developed to improving health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety,
recreation and morals of the citizenry.

(e) “Program components” - shall refer to the service components of the NSTP as enumerated in 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 curricular 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 Services; 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
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 concern 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 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 other components shall allow their
students to cross-enroll to other schools irrespective of whether or not the NSTP components in said
school 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 tuition 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 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.
SEC. 9. Scholarship. – 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, adoption and implementation of the different
NSTP components The CHED and TESDA regional offices shall oversee and monitor the implementation
of the NSTP under their jurisdiction to determine if the training 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 Forces, 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 completed the NSTP in that component.

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,
Section 2 and 3 of Presidential Decree No. 1706, and Section 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.

SEC. 17. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in two (2)
newspapers of national circulation but the implementation of this Act shall commence in the school year
of 2002-2003.

THANK YOU