Mandaluyong City — Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon announced that the foremost humanitarian organization continues to partner with higher education institutions (HEIs) to fulfill their mandate for training under the National Service Training Program (NSTP) law.

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.

“Ang Philippine Red Cross ay may partnership sa CHED [Commission on Higher Education], kung saan kami ang nagbibigay ng training sa mga kabataan sa first aid, disaster preparedness, at iba pang lifesaving skills,” Gordon elaborated.

In 2018, CHED and PRC entered into a partnership in which CHED 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, 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. Basic lifesaving skills and disaster preparedness are among the training NSTP students can take, the CHED chairman said.