Chapter 1: NSTP Program (RA 9163)

Learning Objectives

At the end of this chapter, the learners are expected to:

1. show understanding of the National Service Training Program (NSTP);

2. recognize the Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS) as the component of NSTP that aims to help
alleviate social problems through the different community services; and

3. express commitment to be actively involved in various community services.

Overview

This chapter introduces NSTP in accordance with its newly revised Implementing Rules and Regulations
(IRR). The NSTP components are the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), Literacy Training Service
(LTS), and CWTS.

NSTP aims to inculcate civic consciousness and defense preparedness in the Filipino youth. It helps
develop in them the ethics of service and patriotism while they undergo training in any of the program's
three components which are specifically designed to enhance the students' participation in nation-
building.

The NSTP Law or Republic Act No. 9163, also known as An Act Establishing the NSTP for Tertiary-Level
Students, Amending for the Purpose Republic Act No. 7077 and Presidential Decree No. 1706 and for
Other Purposes, was signed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on January 23, 2002. It is a
consolidation of House Bill No. 3593 and Senate Bill No. 1824 passed by the House of Representatives
and the Senate on December 19, 2001.

The NSTP Law has made ROTC optional since the first semester of school year 2002-2003 and has
allowed students to choose from ROTC, LTS, and CWTS as a requisite for graduation.

NSTP Components

NSTP consists of the following:

1. ROTC, institutionalized under Sections 38 and 39 of Republic Act No. 7077, is designed to
provide military training to motivate, equip, organize, and mobilize the youth for national
defense preparedness. It shall instill in them patriotism, moral virtues, respect for rights of
civilians, and adherence to the Constitution.

2. LTS is designed to train students to teach literacy and numeracy skills to school children, out-of-
school youth, and other segments of society in need of such services.

3. CWTS is designed to involve students actively in activities contributory to the general welfare
and the betterment of life the members of the community or the enhancement of its facilities,

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 especially those devoted to improving health, education, environment, entrepreneurship,
safety, recreation, and morals of the citizenry.

The Department of National Defense (DND), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical
Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) lead in the implementation and monitoring of
NSTP. Their primary function is to oversee if the program being conducted in schools is in consonance
with the newly revised IRR dated November 13, 2009.

Coverage of the NSTP Law

The NSTP Law covers the following:

1. All students, both male and female, enrolled in any baccalaureate degree or two-year technical-
vocational or non-degree courses in public and private schools must complete one NSTP
component of their choice for two semesters as a graduation requirement.

2. All higher and technical-vocational institutions, public and private, must offer at least one NSTP
component.

3. State universities and colleges (SUCs) must offer ROTC and at least one other NSTP component,
namely LTS or CWTS.

4. The Philippine Military Academy (PMA), Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA),
Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), and other SUCs of similar nature, in view of the
special character of these institutions, are not covered by the NSTP Law.

5. Private higher educational institutional (HEIs) and technical-vocational educational institutions

with at least 350 student cadets may offer ROTC and consequently establish and maintain a
Department of Military Science and Tactics, which is still subject to the existing rules and
regulations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

NSTP-CWTS Vision

• To train students to become innovators of social change with a culture of excellence and leaders
with integrity, competence, and commitment to render service to the community.

• To develop in the youth the values of patriotism and national pride, discipline and hard work,
integrity and accountability for nation-building, and volunteerism as valuable and effective
members of the National Service Corps of CWTS.

NSTP-CWTS Mission

NSTP-CWTS aims to promote and integrate values education, transformational leadership, and
sustainable social mobilization for youth development, community building, national renewal, and
global solidarity by:

1. Providing relevant activities that will contribute to the physical, intellectual, spiritual, and social
development of students.

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 2. Inculcating in students the values of leadership, patriotism, and social responsibility

3. Training students to become project planners, designers, and managers of innovative and
sustainable community service-oriented projects.

4. Conducting capability enhancements for civic welfare services geared toward preparing the
youth to become results-oriented social entrepreneurs, volunteers, and a socio-economic
mobilizing force that serves communities as value-driven innovators for progress

5. Working closely with a network of organizations within and outside the higher education
institution

6. Creating opportunities where students can render direct service to the community

NSTP-CWTS Core Values

NSTP-CWTS fosters the following values:

1. Love of God

2. Human dignity

3. Discipline, truth, goodness, and social responsibility 4. Awareness, innovation, and creativity

5. Respect, synergy, and professionalism 6. Excellence and indigenous learning

7. Protection and conservation of the environment

8. Quality service delivery

NSTP-CWTS Minimum Standards

NSTP-CWTS helps develop informed and self-reliant communities by encouraging inter-government

agency cooperation and providing complementary assistance and support to facilitate socio-economic
progress, environmental management, and delivery of basic services, geared toward uplifting the well-
being of people.

The NSTP-CWTS strategies follow an integrative approach to community development, which unites the
people, local officials, civic leaders, and non-governmental organizations.

The NSTP-CWTS 1 is a three-unit, non-academic course for students who opt to take the CWTS
component of NSTP. The minimum standard for NSTP is the development of the common and specific
modules set forth in the IRR. NSTP-CWTS 1 spans a total of 83 training hours for two semesters and
includes seven topics and a scope of instructions as follows:

1. Self-awareness and values development deal with the nature of self, personal development, roots of
the Filipino character, nationalism and patriotism, and good citizenship values with core Filipino values.

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2. Leadership training discusses the concepts of leadership, human behavior, communication,
motivation, teamwork, time management, and decision making.

3. Dimensions of development cover global, national, and local issues on

a) health,
b) education (enhancement of instructional support materials and faculties),
c) entrepreneurship,
d) recreation, and
e) morals of the citizenry
and other social welfare concerns such as voters' education and poverty alleviation.

4. Community exposure and agency visits refer to the nature, development, and approaches in
community work and community-building.

5. Community needs assessment includes knowing the community and the community needs
assessment process, survey, and actual conduct. 6. Community services dwell on drug education, health
education (medical and dental), environmental education, entrepreneurship, and culture.

7. Program evaluation tackles the fundamentals, development, implementation, monitoring, and

evaluation of the program.

Conclusion

NSTP as a graduation requirement is implemented by the DND, CHED, and TESDA. The NSTP Act of 2001
or Republic Act No. 9163 has made ROTC optional and introduced LTS and CWTS as new alternatives,
thus making NSTP a three-pronged program on citizenship training.

NSTP provides a policy framework on volunteerism that underscores the fundamental principle to
harmonize the broad and diverse efforts of the volunteer sector of the country into an integrative and
effective partnership for local and national development as well as international cooperation and
understanding. It sets a mechanism to protect the rights and privileges of the youth in recognition of
their roles and contributions to the development of society.