The National Service Training Program (NSTP) is a civic education and service program in the Philippines aimed at fostering patriotism, nationalism, and civic consciousness among Filipino youth. It was established by the Republic Act 9163 or the National Service Training Program Act of 2001. NSTP consists of three program components, namely: Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS) Literacy Training Service (LTS) Each component of NSTP is designed to provide students with opportunities to contribute to nation-building through various forms of community service and engagement. Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC): ROTC is a military training program that aims to develop leadership, discipline, and patriotism among students. It provides basic military training and education to students, preparing them for potential roles in national defense and security. ROTC activities may include drills, physical training, leadership exercises, and community service projects. Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS): CWTS focuses on community service and social responsibility. It engages students in activities that address the needs of marginalized communities and promote social development. CWTS projects may include environmental conservation, disaster risk reduction, health education, literacy programs, and community outreach initiatives. Literacy Training Service (LTS): LTS aims to enhance literacy and numeracy skills among disadvantaged groups in society. It involves tutoring and mentoring students in schools, barangays, or communities with low literacy rates. LTS activities may include teaching basic reading, writing, and numeracy skills, as well as organizing educational workshops and seminars. Overall, NSTP plays a vital role in instilling values of citizenship, volunteerism, and social responsibility among Filipino youth. It provides students with opportunities to engage meaningfully with their communities, develop leadership skills, and contribute to the common good. Through NSTP, students are empowered to become active and responsible members of society, working towards the betterment of the nation.

1. H. No. 3593
S. No. 1824
Begun and held in Mevo Manila, on Monday, the twenty-third day ot
July, two thousand one.
[ REPUBLIC ACT Nc›. 916 3
AN ACT ESTABLIS MING THE NATIONAL SERVICE
TRAINING PROGRAM tNSTP) FOR TERTIARY LEVEL
STUDENTS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE
REPUBMCACT NO. 7077 AND PRESIDENTIAL DECREE
NO. 1706, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Repres entatives of the
Philippines to Congress assembled.
SEWIOu 1. Short Title. - '1'hia Act ahall be known as the
”National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of2001."
SEC. 2. Declazahozi oZPohey. —It is hereby a8irmed the
prime duty of the government to serve and protect ite citizens. In
turn, it shall be the responsibility of all citizens to defend the
security of the State Andin fulfillment thereof, the government

2. 2
may require each citisen to render personal, military or civil
eerviœ.
Recognizing the youth'e vital role in station-building, the
State ehall promote civic conøciouøneaa among the youth and ehall
develop their physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual and ßocíal well-
being. Ît ehall inculcate in the youth patriotism, nationalism,
andadvance their involvement in public and civic afaire.
In pursuit of these goale, the youth, the most valuable
resourœ of the nation, ahall be motivated, trained, organised and
mobilized in military training, literacy, civic welfĞe and other
similar endeavors in the service of the nation.
SEc. 3. DeôniLion oZTermo. —
For purposesof this Act, the
following are hereby defined asfollows:
(a) "National Service Training Program (NST •)" is a
program aimed at enhancing civic consciousness and defense
preparedneaø in the youth by deveİoping the ethics of service and
patriotism whìle undergoing training in any of its three (3) pmgram
componenŁs. Itø various components are specially deeigned to
enhance theyouth's activecontribution to the general welfare.
(b) "Reserve Oflìœrø' Training Corps(ROTC)"iøaprogram
institutionalized under Sections 38 and 39 of Republic Act No.
7077designed toprovide
inorder tomotivate,
defensepreparedness.
training totertiary levelstudents
andmobilize themfornational
(c) "Liteéacy Training Service" is a program designed to
train atudentø to become teachers of literacy and numeracy skills
to øchool children, out of œhool youth, andother øegœenå of ø‹x:iety
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
itsfacilities, eøpeoally thoeedevotedtoimproving health,education,
thecitizenry.
environment, entrepreneurship, safety, recreation and morals of
(e) "Program component" shall refer to the service
components of the NSTP asenumerated in Section 4of thisAct.
SEC. 4. Eytłybftsłime t of the
Ht›grszo. —
There ishereby established aNational ServiceTraining
Program (NSTP), which Shä11 form part of the curricula of all
baCcalaureate degree courses and of at least two (2)-year technieal-
vocational cour8ea and is a requisite for graduation, con•iøting of
thefollowing eervicøcomponents:
(1) The Reserve Officers' >•' 8Cons (ROTC), which is
hereby made optional and voluntary upon the effectivity of this
Act;
(2) The Literacy Training Service; and
(3) The Civic Welfare Training Service.
emphasis in all three (3)program components.
The ROTC under the NSTP shalÏ instill patriotism, moral
virtues, respect for rights of civiliánB, and adherence tDthe
Constitution, among others. CitízenBhip training shatlbe even
The Commiesion on Higher Education (CHED) and
TechnicalEducation and Ski11oDevelopment Authority (TESDA),
inconsultation with the Department of National Defense (DND),
Philippine Asøooation ofState Universities and Colleges(PASUC),
Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associationsof the
Philippines (COCOPEA) and other conœrned government agencies,
may design and implement such other program components as
may be neceaeary in consonance with the provisionsof thisAct.
SEC. S. Č'overage. —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.

3. 4
SEC. 6. Duration and Equ1'vaIent Course Uziit. - Each of
the aforementioned NSTP program components ahall be
undertaken for an academic periodof two(2)semesters.
In lieu of the two (2)-aemeeter program for any of the
components of the NSTP, a one (1)-aummer program may be
designed, formulated andadoptedbytheDND, CHED andTESDA.
SEC. 7. N5'IP One gE HagLezand Technical-Vocational
Eduea Lioaal Inc^'t utiona. - All higher and techiiical-vocational
institutions, pubEc and private, must offer at least one of the
program components: Prodded. That State universities and
collegee ahalloffer the ROTC component and at leaat one other
component as provided herein: Pzov:ided, Zunthey That private
higher and technical-vocational education inatitutiona may alao
offer the ROTC if they have at least three hundred and fifty (350)
cadet students.
In offering the NSTP whether during the aemeatral or
aummer 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 etvtdenta to maintain the
optional ROTC and any of the NSTP components shall allow their
students to croee-enroll to other schools *mreepective of whether or
not the NSTP components in. said schools are being administered
by the came or sp‹iiciier branch of service of the Armed T'•orcesof
the Philippinee (AFP), CHED and TESDA to which echoola are
identified.
SEC. 8. Feee end Incent:ice.s. —Higher and technieal•
vocational institutions shall not collect any fee for any of the NSTP
components except basic tuition fees, which shall not be more
than fifty pércent (50%) of what ie currently charged by achoola
per unit.
In the caee of the ROTC, the DND ahall formulate and adopt
a program of aeeistance and/or incentive to thoae students who
oil 1take the ,aid ‹x lope e.nt.
The school authorities concerned, CHED and TESDA shall
ensure that group insurance for health and accident shall be
provided forstudents enrolled in any of the NSTP components.
SEc. 9. HeiiolaxaKpo. —There ia here by created a Special
Scholarship Program for qualified students taking the NSTP which
ahall be administered by the CHED and TESDA. Funds for this
purpose shall be included in the annual regular appmpriationa of
the CHED and TESDA.
YE£2. 10. Management of the VAAP 'ozapoaents. —The
achool authorities ehall exercise academic and administrative
aupervieion over the deeign, foror ulation, adop tion and
implementation of the different NSTP components in their
respective schools: Provided, That in eaae a CHED- or TESDA-
accredited nongovemment organization (NGO) has been mntracted
to formulate and administer a training module for any of the NSTP
components, auch academic and administrative supervision shall
be exercised jointly with that accredited NTO: Prov:ided, I Lhez,
That euch training module shall be accredited by the CHE D and
TESDA.
The CHED and TESDA regional officee ahalloversee“and
. monitor the implementation of the NSTP urider their jurisdiction
to determine if the trainings are being conducted in Donson ance
with the objectivée of this Act. Periodic reports shall be submitted
to the CHED, TESDA and DND in this regard.
SEC. 11. OmaLionolLhe Notional Service Reserve C'orps.
There ia hereby created a National Service Reserve Corps, to be
composedofthe graduatesofthenon-ROTC components. Members
of thia Corps may be tapped by the State for literacy and civic
welfare activities thrsugh the joint efort of theDND, CHED and
TESDA.
Graduatea of the ROTC shall form part of the Citizens'
Armed Force, pursuant toRepublic Act No. 7077.
N2. 12. Implemeufzng Rules. —The DNS, THE'c ana
TESDA shall have thejoint reeponsibility forthe adoption of the

4. 6
implementing rulea of thia Act within eixty (60) days from the
approval of this Act.
These three (3) agencies ahall consult with other concerned
government agencies, the PASUC and COCOPEA, NGOs and
recognized student organizations in drafting the implementing
rulea.
The implementing rules shall include the guidelines for the
adoption of the appropriate eurrievdum for each of the NSTP
components ae well aa for the accreditation of the came.
SEt. }3. H8Mai'i:ozy• P Naione. —Students who have yet
to complete the ässic ROTC, exœpt those falling under Section 14
of thie Act, may either continue in the program composent they
are currently enrolled or shift to any of the other program
componento of their choice: Pzt›rzded, That in caae tte shifts to
another ptogram component, the Baaic ROTC courtes he haa
completed ahallbe counted for the purpose of completing the NSTP
requirement. Provided, fitrtber, That onœ he haa ehifted to another
program component, he shall complete the NSTP in that
‹x›mponent. '
SEC. 14. Suopenelon oT ROTS Req ulrement. - The
comptetion of ROTC training aa a requisite for graduation is hereby
set aside for those etudents who despite completing all their
academic units as ofthe effectivity of thia Act have not been allowed
to graduate.
SEC. 15. Sepazabdii;y Cfc uee. —If any Section or provision
of thie Act ahall be declared unconstitutional or invalid, the other
sections or provieione not affected thereby shall remain in full
force and e8ect.
SEC. 16. Amendatozy Clause.—Section 35 of Commonwealth
Act No. 1, Executive Order No. 207 of 1939, Sectione 2 and 3 of
PreaidentialDecree No. 1706, and Sections 38 and 39 of Republic
Act No. 7077, as well as all laws, decrees, orders, rulee and
regulations and other iaeuanéea inconaiatent with the provisions
of this Act are hereby deemed amended and modified accordingly.
SEC. 17. E&ecLivity. - Thia Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in two (2) newspapers of nationaI
circulation, but the implementation of this Act shall commence in
the echool year of 2002-2003.
Approved,
. D LON
P es ent of the Senat
SE DE VENECI IR.
!Speaker of the House
’of Representatives
Thia Act which is a consolidation of H.B. No. 3593 and
S.B. No. 1824 waa finally passed by the House of Representatives
and the Senate on December 19, 2001. ,
OSCA ABES
ta fihe
ROB OP. NAzARENO
Approved: j$p j 2Jgy
ec etary General
Ho se f Representatives
GLORIA CAPAGAL-ARROYO
President of the Philippines