NSTP REVIEWER
IMPLEMENTING RULES & REGULATIONS
● Pursuant to Section 12 of Republic Act No. 9163 otherwise known as the National
Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001, the Commission of Higher Education
(CHED), Technical Education & Skills Development Authority (TESDA), & Department of
National Defense (DND), in consultation with concerned government agencies, the
Philippine Association of State Universities & Colleges (PASUC), Coordinating Council of
Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA), Non-Government
Organizations (NGOs) & recognized student organizations, hereby jointly issue, adopt &
promulgate the following implementing rules & regulations to implement the provisions of
the Act.
Rule I Guiding Principles
Section 1. Guiding Principles
- While it is the prime duty of the government to serve & protect its citizens, in turn it shall
be the responsibility of all citizens to defend the security of the State & in fulfillment
thereof, the government may require each citizen to render personal military or civil
service.
Section 2. Role of the Youth
a. In recognition of the vital role of the youth in nation building, the State shall promote civic
consciousness among them & shall develop their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual &
social well being. It shall inculcate the ideals of patriotism, nationalism, & advance their
involvement in public & civic affairs.
b. As the most valuable resource of the nation, they shall be motivated,® trained,
organized & involved in military, literacy, civic welfare programs & other similar
endeavors in the service of the nation.
Rule II Definition of Terms Section 3. As used in this implementing Rules & Regulations
(IRR), the following terms shall mean:
a. "National Service Training Program" (NSTP) - refers to the program aimed at
Enhancing civic consciousness & defense preparedness in the youth, by developing the
ethics of service & patriotism while undergoing training in any of the three (3) Program
components, specifically designed to enhance the youth's active contribution to the
general welfare;
b. "Reserve Officers Training Corps" (ROTC) - refers to the program component,
institutionalized under Sections 38 & 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" (LTS) - refers to the program component designed to train
the students to teach literacy & numeracy skills to school children, out-of school youths &
other segments of society in need of their services;
d. “Civic Welfare Training Service” (CWTS) - refers to the program component or
activities contributory to the general welfare & betterment of life for the members of the
community or the enhancement of its facilities, especially those devoted to.
e. Improving health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation & moral
of the citizenry & other social welfare services;
f. "Program Component" - refers to the service components of the NSTP as defined
herein;
g. "Clustering"- refers to the grouping of students enrolled in the different schools & taking
up the same NSTP component into one (1) group under the management & supervision
of a designated school;
h. "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; and
i. “Non-Government Organization" (NGO) - refers to any private organization duly
accredited by CHED or recognized by TESDA.
Rule Ill Program Implementation
Section 4. Coverage: All incoming freshmen students, male & female, starting School Year
(SY) 2002-2003, enrolled in any baccalaureate & 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. All higher & technical-vocational education institutions must offer at
least one (1) of the NSTP components.
Section 5: Program Components: The NSTP shall have the following components which the
students can choose from as defined in Rule II, Section 3 hereof: The Reserve Officers Training
Corps (ROTC), Literacy Training Service (LTS), & Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS).
Section 6: Duration & Equivalent Course Unit: Each of the aforementioned NSTP
components shall be undertaken for an academic period of two (2) semesters. It shall be
credited for three (3) units per semester, for fifty-four (54) to ninety (90) training hours per
semester. A one (1) summer program in lieu of the two (2) semester program may be designed,
formulated & adopted by the DND, CHED& TESDA, subject to the capability of the school & the
AFP to handle the same.
Rule IV Fees & Incentives Section 9:
Fees. No fees shall be collected for any of the NSTP component except basic tuition fees, which
should not be more than fifty (50) percent of the charges of the school per academic unit.
Rule V Organization of NSTP Graduates Section 11. Organization of the NSTP Graduates
a. Graduates of the non-ROTC components of the NSTP shall belong to the National
Service Reserve Corps (NSRC) & could be tapped by the State for literacy & civic
welfare activities, through the joint efforts of DND, CHED, & TESDA, im. coordination
with DILG, DSWD & other concerned agencies/associations.
Rule VI Transitory Provisions
Section 12. Transitory Provisions
a. Male students who are not covered by Section 12 of this Rule & are currently enrolled
but have not taken any of the Military Service (MS), Civic Welfare Service (CWS) or Law
Enforcement Service (LES) programs shall be covered by the NSTP Law.
b. Male students who have not completed two semesters of the Expanded ROTC
(E-ROTC)/National Service Program (NSP) are deemed to have compiled with the NSTP
requirement.
c. Male students who are not covered by Section 12 of these Rules & have taken only one
(1) semester of Basic ROTC or E-ROTC/NSP shall take one more semester of any of
the NSTP components to qualify for graduation.
d. Students who want to qualify for enlistment in the Reserve Force or attend the Advance
ROTC program shall undertake a special program for this purpose.