AN
ACT ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL SERVICE TRAINING PROGRAM (NSTP) FOR
TERTIARY
LEVEL STUDENTS, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC
ACT NO. 7077 AND PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1706, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES.
Section
1. Short Title - This Act shall be known as the "National
Service
Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001."
Sec.
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 the security of the
State
and in fulfillment thereof, the government may require each citizen to
render personal, military or civil service. chanrobles
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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 in public
and civic affairs.chanrobles
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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 service and patriotism while undergoing training in any
of
its three (3) program components. Its various components are specially
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.chanrobles
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(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 programs 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
devoted
to improving health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety,
recreation and morals of the citizenry.chanrobles
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(e)
"Program component" 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, which shall
form part of the curricula 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
option
and voluntary upon the effectivity of this Act;
(2)
The Literacy Training Service; andchanrobles
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(3)
The Civic Welfare Training Servicechanrobles
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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 (3) program components.chanrobles
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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 concerned 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 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.
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.chanrobles
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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.chanrobles
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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.chanrobles
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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 NSTP components shall allow their students
to cross-enroll to other schools irrespective of whether or not the
NSTP
components in said schools are being administered by the same or
another
branch of service in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), CHED
and
TESDA to which schools are identified.chanrobles
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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.chanrobles
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In
the case of ROTC, the DND shall formulate and adopt a program of
assistance
and/or incentive to those students who will take the said component.chanrobles
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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. Scholarships. - 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,
forumulation, adoption and implementation of the different NSTP
components
in their respective schools; Provided, That in case a CHED- or
TESDA-accredited
non government organization (NGO) has been contracted to formulate and
administer a training module for any of the NSTP components, such
academic
and administrative supervision shall be exercised jointly with that
accredited
NGO; Provided, further, That such training module shall be accredited
by
the CHED and TESDA.chanrobles
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The
CHED and TESDA regional offices shall oversee and monitor the
implementation
of the NSTP under their jurisdiction to determine if the trainings 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.chanrobles
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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.chanrobles
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Graduates
of the ROTC shall form part of the Citizens' Armed Force 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 guideline for the adoption of the
appropriate curriculum for each of the NSTP components as well as for
the
accreditation of the same.chanrobles
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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 course
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 complete the NSTP in component.chanrobles
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Sec.
14. Suspension of ROTC Requirement. - The completion of ROTC
training
as a requisite for graduation is hereby set aside for those students
who
despite completing all their academic units as of the effectivity of
this
Act have not been allowed to graduate.
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.chanrobles
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Sec.
16. Amendatory Clause. - 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 or 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.
Approved:
January 23, 2002.
