National Service Training Program Act

Policy and declared national purpose

Section 2 affirms the prime duty of the government to serve and protect its citizens.
Section 2 recognizes it as the responsibility of citizens to defend the security of the State by rendering personal, military, or civil service when required.
Section 2 directs the State to promote civic consciousness among the youth and to develop their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, and social well-being.
Section 2 requires the inculcation of patriotism and nationalism and the advancement of youth involvement in public and civic affairs.
Section 2 mandates motivating, training, organizing, and mobilizing youth for military training, literacy, civic welfare, and other similar endeavors in the service of the nation.

Definitions of NSTP components

Section 3 defines “National Service Training Program (NSTP)” as 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.
Section 3 defines “Reserve-Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)” as a program institutionalized under Sections 38 and 39 of Republic Act No. 7077 that provides military training to tertiary level students for national defense preparedness.
Section 3 defines “Literacy Training Service” as a program that trains students to become teachers of literacy and numeracy skills to school children, out of school youth, and other segments of society in need.
Section 3 defines “Civic Welfare Training Service” as programs or activities contributory to general welfare and the betterment of life in the community, including improvements in health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation, and morals.
Section 3 defines “Program component” as the service components of the NSTP enumerated in Section 4.

Who must cover and complete NSTP

Section 5 requires students—male and female—in any baccalaureate degree course or at least two (2)-year technical-vocational courses to complete one (1) of the NSTP components.
Section 5 limits the requirement to students in public and private educational institutions.
Section 5 makes NSTP completion a requisite for graduation.

Program structure, duration, and units

Section 4 establishes the NSTP as part of the curricula of all baccalaureate degree courses and of at least two (2)-year technical-vocational courses.
Section 4 makes NSTP completion a requisite for graduation and identifies its components as:
- ROTC (made optional and voluntary upon the Act’s effectivity);
- Literacy Training Service; and
- Civil Welfare Training Service.
Section 4 requires ROTC under the NSTP to instill patriotism, moral virtues, respect for rights of civilians, and adherence to the Constitution, and emphasizes citizenship training in all three program components.
Section 4 allows CHED and TESDA, in consultation with the DND, PASUC, COCOPEA, and other concerned agencies, to design and implement other program components as necessary.
Section 6 requires each NSTP program component to be undertaken for an academic period of two (2) semesters.
Section 6 allows, in lieu of the two (2)-semester program, a one (1) summer program that may be designed, formulated, and adopted by DND, CHED, and TESDA.

Institution offering rules and student placement

Section 7 requires all higher and technical-vocational institutions, public and private, to offer at least one of the program components.
Section 7 requires State universities and colleges to offer the ROTC component and at least one other NSTP component.
Section 7 allows private higher and technical-vocational institutions to offer ROTC only if they have at least 350 cadet students.
Section 7 authorizes clustering of affected students from different educational institutions during semestral or summer periods, taking into account logistics, branch of service, and geographical considerations.
Section 7 requires schools that do not meet the required student number to maintain the optional ROTC and any NSTP components to allow their students to cross-enroll to other schools, regardless of whether the components are administered by the same or another branch of the AFP, CHED, and TESDA to which the schools are identified.

Fees, incentives, insurance, and scholarships

Section 8 prohibits higher and technical-vocational institutions from collecting any fee for NSTP components except basic tuition fees.
Section 8 limits basic tuition fees for NSTP components to not more than fifty percent (50%) of what schools currently charge per unit.
Section 8 requires the DND to formulate and adopt a program of assistance and/or incentive for students who will take ROTC.
Section 8 requires schools, CHED, and TESDA to ensure group insurance for health and accident for students enrolled in any NSTP component.
Section 9 creates a Special Scholarship Program for qualified students taking the NSTP.
Section 9 provides that the scholarship program is administered by CHED and TESDA.
Section 9 requires including funds for the scholarship program in the annual regular appropriations of CHED and TESDA.

NSTP governance, accreditation, and reports

Section 10 requires school authorities to exercise academic and administrative supervision over the design, formulation, adoption, and implementation of NSTP components in their respective schools.
Section 10 requires joint supervision when a CHED- or TESDA-accredited NGO is contracted to formulate and administer a training module for any NSTP component.
Section 10 requires that such training module be accredited by CHED and TESDA.
Section 10 requires CHED and TESDA regional offices to oversee and monitor NSTP implementation in their jurisdiction to determine whether trainings conform to the Act’s objectives.
Section 10 requires periodic reports to be submitted to CHED, TESDA, and DND.

Reserve corps and connection to ROTC graduates

Section 11 creates the National Service Reserve Corps, composed of graduates of the non-ROTC NSTP components.
Section 11 authorizes the State to tap members of the Corps for literacy and civic welfare activities through the joint effort of DND, CHED, and TESDA.
Section 11 provides that ROTC graduates form part of the Citizens’ Armed Force pursuant to Republic Act No. 7077.

Implementing rules schedule and required content

Section 12 assigns joint responsibility to DND, CHED, and TESDA to adopt the implementing rules within sixty (60) days from approval of the Act.
Section 12 requires the three (3) agencies to consult other concerned government agencies, PASUC, COCOPEA, NGOs, and recognized student organizations when drafting the implementing rules.
Section 12 requires the implementing rules to include guidelines for adopting the appropriate curriculum for each NSTP component.
Section 12 requires the implementing rules to include guidelines for the accreditation of NSTP curricula and components.

Transitory ROTC shifting and graduation set-aside

Section 13 allows students who have yet to complete the Basic ROTC (except those falling under Section 14) to either:
- continue in the program component they are currently enrolled, or
- shift to another program component of their choice.
Section 13 requires counting Basic ROTC courses already completed toward completion of the NSTP requirement if a student shifts to another component.
Section 13 requires that once a student shifts to another program component, the student must complete the NSTP in that chosen component.
Section 14 sets aside ROTC completion as a graduation requisite for students who, despite completing all academic units as of the effectivity of the Act, were not allowed to graduate.

Separability and amendatory effects

Section 15 provides that if any section or provision of the Act is declared unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining sections or provisions remain in full force and effect.
Section 16 deems amended and modified:
- Section 35 of Commonwealth Act No. 1;
- Executive Order No. 207 of 1939;
- Sections 2 and 3 of Presidential Decree No. 1706; and
- Sections 38 and 39 of Republic Act No. 7077,
  along with all inconsistent laws, decrees, orders, rules, regulations, and other issuances.