The legal basis of the National Service Training Program (NSTP) is Republic Act No. 9163, also known as the "National Service Training Program (NSTP) Act of 2001." This law was enacted to establish the NSTP for tertiary level students, amending Republic Act No. 7077 and Presidential Decree No. 1706. It was created to enhance civic consciousness and defense preparedness among the youth by developing ethics of service and patriotism through training in one of its three program components: Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), Literacy Training Service (LTS), and Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS)
. The law affirms the government's prime duty to serve and protect its citizens and states that citizens have the responsibility to defend the security of the state, which may include rendering personal, military, or civil service. The NSTP aims to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize the youth in military training, literacy, civic welfare, and other similar endeavors in service to the nation. Completion of one NSTP component is required for graduation for all male and female students enrolled in any baccalaureate or at least two-year technical/vocational courses in public and private educational institutions
. In summary, the NSTP's legal foundation is Republic Act No. 9163, which mandates the program as part of the curriculum and graduation requirement for tertiary students to promote patriotism, civic consciousness, and national defense preparedness
