Students who wish to fulfill their National Service Training Program (NSTP) requirements were enjoined to be a part of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard Gordon, in a statement issued Thursday, Oct. 13, explained that country’s foremost humanitarian organization has a partnership with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) wherein students in higher education institutions (HEIs) may fulfill their mandate for training under the NSTP law.
“Ang Philippine Red Cross ay may partnership sa CHED kung saan kami ang nagbibigay ng training sa mga kabataan sa first aid, disaster preparedness, at iba pang lifesaving skills (The Philippine Red Cross has a partnership with CHED where we provide training to young people in first aid, disaster preparedness, and other lifesaving skills,” Gordon explained.
The NSTP is a requirement for graduation for students of baccalaureate degree courses and two-year technical-vocational courses as prescribed by the NSTP law, or Republic Act 9163.
The purpose of the current NSTP law is to motivate, train, organize, and mobilize the youth in military training, improvement of literacy and numeracy, civic welfare, and other similar endeavors in the service of the nation.
In 2018, CHED and PRC entered into a partnership in which the Commission encouraged all HEIs to establish a Red Cross Youth organization as a means to promote volunteerism and youth participation in nation-building.
Under the partnership, CHED encouraged NSTP enrollees to become members of the Red Cross Youth program.
As the 19th Congress reviews the NSTP law this year, PRC said that CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III once again said that HEIs may continue to work with Red Cross in implementing their mandate under the NSTP law.
Given this, Gordon reiterated that PRC continues to partner with higher education institutions (HEIs) to fulfill their mandate for training under the NSTP law.