NSTP Comprehensive Exam Reviewer

I. INTRODUCTION TO NSTP

Historical Development of NSTP

Commonwealth Act No. 1 (National Defense Act) - 1935

• Under President Manuel L. Quezon

• Required male college students to complete 2 years/4 semesters of Military

Training

• Students became reserved cadets for national defense

Presidential Decree No. 1706 (National Service Law) - August 8, 1980

• Mandated compulsory national service for all citizens

• Three components: Civic Welfare Service (CWTS)

• Law Enforcement Service (LES),

• Military Service

• Students could choose one component

Presidential Memorandum Order No. 1 - 1986

• President Corazon Aquino suspended National Service Law (except Military

Service)

• Became Basic Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)

• Effective SY 1986-1987

Republic Act 7077 - 1991

• Modified Basic ROTC to Expanded ROTC Program

• First year: military subjects

• Second year: choice between MTS, CWTS, LES

The Mark Welson Chua Case - March 18, 2001

• 19-year-old UST Engineering student found dead in Pasig River

• Victim of illegal ROTC practices

• Led to massive student protests against ROTC

• Catalyst for NSTP creation

Republic Act No. 9163 (NSTP Act of 2001) - January 23, 2002

• Implemented SY 2002-2003

• Three program components: CWTS, LTS, ROTC

NSTP Definition and Purpose

• Designed to develop consciousness and defense preparedness among Filipino

youth

• Develops ethics of service, nationalism, and patriotism

• For tertiary level students

Three Components of NSTP

1. Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC)

• Military training for tertiary students

• Motivates, trains, organizes, and mobilizes for national preparedness

• Optional but highly recommended for military service courses

2. Literacy Training Service (LTS)

• Trains students to become teachers of literacy and numeracy

• Focus: school children, out-of-school youth, other community segments

3. Civic Welfare Training Service (CWTS)

• Contributes to general welfare and community betterment

• Enhances facilities for health, education, environment, entrepreneurship, safety,

recreation, morals

Constitutional Basis

Article 2, 1987 Philippine Constitution

Section 4: Government's prime duty is to serve and protect people; may call upon
people to defend the state; citizens may be required to render personal, military, or civil
service

Section 5: Maintenance of peace and order, protection of life, liberty, property, and
promotion of general welfare are essential for democracy

Section 13: State recognizes youth's vital role in nation-building; shall promote
physical, moral, spiritual, intellectual, social well-being; inculcate patriotism and
nationalism
II. SELF-AWARENESS AND VALUES DEVELOPMENT

Aspects of the Self (Burnard's Framework)

Physical Self

• Felt sense of the self, includes physical body

• Perceptions and images of our body (fat, thin, muscular, etc.)

Spiritual Self

• Investment of meaning in what we do as humans

• May be framed in religious, philosophical, psychological, or political terms

• Meaning systems vary among people

Social Self

• Part openly shared with others in various situations

• Work, home, friends, etc.

Private Self

• Aspect we're aware of but don't show to others

Darker Self

• Aspects not generally allowed full consciousness

• Part of understanding full potential of ourselves

16 Personalities (MBTI)

Four Preference Pairs:

1. Energy Focus: Extraversion (E) vs Introversion (I)

• E: Outward-focused, action-oriented, energized by social interaction

• I: Inward-focused, thought-oriented, energized by solitude

2. Information Processing: Sensing (S) vs Intuition (N)

• S: Focus on facts, details, reality; rely on five senses

• N: Focus on patterns, possibilities, big picture; abstract ideas

3. Decision Making: Thinking (T) vs Feeling (F)

• T: Base decisions on facts and logic; objective, impersonal

 • F: Consider emotions and human impact; value harmony and empathy

4. Lifestyle Approach: Judging (J) vs Perceiving (P)

• J: Prefer structure, planning, clear decisions

• P: Prefer flexibility, adaptability, openness

Five Love Languages

1. Words of Affirmation

• Need to hear you are loved

• Feel loved through: compliments, caring words, appreciation

2. Acts of Service

• Need to be shown love through tasks

• Feel loved when: partner helps with responsibilities, gives time and energy

3. Receiving Gifts

• Need tangible evidence of love

• Feel loved through: meaningful gifts, surprises, symbols of memories

4. Quality Time

• Need time and attention

• Feel loved through: focused attention, meaningful conversation, uninterrupted

time

5. Physical Touch

• Need physical contact

• Feel loved through: hugs, kisses, holding hands, affection

III. GOOD CITIZENSHIP AND CHRISTIAN MORALITY

Morality vs Ethics

Morality

• Transmitted through culture and values

• Does not need justification

• Grounds arguments on TRADITION

Ethics

• Doing right and avoiding wrong based on rational principles

• Grounds arguments on REASON

• Questions: "What must I do? Why must I do it?"

Christian Morality Key Concepts

Orthopraxis: "Right-doing" - complement of orthodoxy; right belief must be validated by

imitating Jesus

Fundamental Question: Not "What must I do?" but "What—or who—must I be?"

Types of Moral Persons:

• Moral: Knows what is good, usually does it; knows evil, ordinarily avoids it

• Immoral: Knows what should be done but doesn't do it; has moral sense but no
moral strength

• Amoral: Lacks moral sense; blind to moral values

Sources of Morality (CCC 1750-1751)

Morality of human acts depends on:

1. The Object Chosen

• Primary source of morality

• What the acting person chooses to do

• Good toward which will deliberately directs itself

2. The End/Intention

• Purpose or reason for the action

• Movement of will toward the end

• Resides in the acting subject

3. The Circumstances

• Surrounding conditions affecting the act externally

• When, where, how you acted

KEY PRINCIPLE: All three determinants must be good for the human act to be good. If
one is bad, the act is morally bad.

Human Freedom and Responsibility

Freedom Definition: Power rooted in reason and will to act or not act; perform
deliberate actions on own responsibility

Key Points:

• Freedom attains perfection when directed toward God

• The more one does good, the freer one becomes

• True freedom exists only in service of good and just

• Freedom makes man responsible for voluntary acts

Factors that Diminish Responsibility:

• Coercion

• Ignorance

• Inadvertence (not intended)

• Fear

• Habit

• Inordinate attachments

• Psychological factors

• Social factors

Human Acts vs Acts of Man

Human Acts (Personal Acts)

• Freely chosen with intellect and free will

• Done freely, deliberately, voluntarily

• Examples: studying, working, talking, lying

• Subject to moral evaluation

Acts of Man

• Performed without awareness of mind or control of will

• Done by instinct or involuntarily

• Examples: breathing, digestion, circulation

• Not subject to moral evaluation

Conscience
Definition: Judgment of reason by which human person recognizes quality of concrete
act

Role of Conscience:

• Investigate, judge, pass sentence on moral actions

• Approves/praises, criticizes/judges

• Prevents, commands

• Accuses, forgives

Badly Formed Consciences:

1. Lax Conscience

• Too loose; sees sinful acts as lawful

• Example: Businessman regarding tax fraud as light matter

2. Scrupulous Conscience

• Too tight; constant dread of sin where none exists

• Sees venial sin as grave sin

3. Perplexed/Confused Conscience

• Fears sin in whatever choice is made

• Example: Nurse torn between Mass attendance and patient care

4. Rationalizing Conscience

• Always finds excuses for any action

• Example: Student justifying cheating

5. Legalistic Conscience

• Focus on rules without care and compassion

• Example: Teacher prioritizing punctuality over student's family help

Principle of Double Effect

Definition: Morally permitted to do act with both good and evil effects if no other way to
get good effect

Four Conditions:

1. Act itself must be morally good or neutral

• Not evil
 • Evil tolerated is always physical evil (not involving free will)

2. Person must directly intend good effect, only tolerate evil effect

• May not positively will bad effect

• If good effect possible without bad effect, choose that

3. Good effect must be greater than or equal to evil effect

• Proportionately grave reason for permitting evil effect

4. Good effect must not be obtained by means of evil effect

• Good effect must flow from action at least as immediately as bad effect

• Key Principle: End does not justify the means

Example: Doctor performing hysterectomy on pregnant woman with cancer

• Aims to save woman's life (good effect)

• Foresees but doesn't intend fetus death (evil effect)

• Different from direct abortion which intends to kill fetus

IV. KEY QUOTATIONS TO REMEMBER

On Choices:

• "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J.K.
Rowling

• "While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the
consequences of our actions." - Stephen Covey

On Freedom:

• "Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to
choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom." - Victor
Frankl

On Conscience:

• "In the silence of the heart God speaks." - Mother Teresa

V. STUDY TIPS FOR EXAM

Focus Areas:
 1. NSTP history, especially key dates and figures

2. Three NSTP components and their differences

3. Constitutional basis (Articles and Sections)

4. Sources of morality (Object, Intention, Circumstances)

5. Types of conscience and their characteristics

6. Human Acts vs Acts of Man

7. Principle of Double Effect and its four conditions

8. MBTI preference pairs

9. Five Love Languages

Key Dates to Remember:

• 1935: Commonwealth Act No. 1

• 1980: Presidential Decree No. 1706

• 1986: Presidential Memorandum Order No. 1

• 1991: Republic Act 7077

• March 18, 2001: Mark Welson Chua case

• January 23, 2002: Republic Act No. 9163

Practice Questions:

• Compare and contrast the three NSTP components

• Explain the historical development from Commonwealth Act to NSTP

• Analyze moral situations using the three determinants

• Identify types of conscience in given scenarios

• Apply Principle of Double Effect to moral dilemmas