FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Constitution provides that the State must give priority to education to foster 
patriotism and nationalism, accelerate social progress, and promote total human 
liberation and development. This policy is anchored on the State's recognition of the 
protection of life, liberty, and property, and promotion of the general welfare as 
essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of democracy. Continuing 
advancement in national defense and security education is one way to promote and 
uphold this principle. 
Basic national frameworks such as the country's defense and security have 
slowly become incapable of adapting to the great changes taking place in the 21~t 
century. The security environment surrounding the Philippines is changing 
significantly, as evidenced by the fight against terrorism and regional conflicts. One 
crucial step to befit our national security to the times is to restructure our country's 
defense and security education. A reorganized national defense and security education 
must produce national security leaders and managers in various sectors of the society to 
lead in the strategic thinking of diverse and sometimes metamorphosed security issues. 
The education program should be thorough and customized to address national 
security scenarios comprehensive and integrated enough to cover all sectors of the 
society. 
The absence of a mechanism to organize and integrate national security and 
defense education program at present is demonstrated by the poorly coordinated and 
independently pursued programs of defense and armed forces schools and colleges. 
Thus, an over-all administrative and operational educational institution in the field of 
defense and security education in the country is necessary. 
This bill seeks to ensure that defense and security education is holistic, 
integrated, comprehensive and attuned to national security and defense requirements 
of the country through the establishment of the National Defense University of the 
Philippines that will promote the enhancement and development of security and 
defense instruction, research and training in the country. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
LOREN LEGARDA 
Senator 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
) 
First Regular Session 
Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY 
OF THE PHILIPPINES AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by fhe Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congiess 
assenz bled: 
SECTION 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "National Defense University 
of the Philippines Act of 2008". 
SECTION 2. Policy. - It shall be the policy of the State to provide a continuing 
advanced education in the field of defense and security to outstanding and qualified 
men and women in the military service as well as to key officers in the government 
service and private sector. The State shall likewise ensure that defense and security 
education is holistic, integrated, comprehensive and attuned to national .security and 
defense requirements of the country. 
SECTION 3. Establishment of National Defense University of the Philippines - In 
furtherance of the policy enunciated in Section 2 of this Act, an educational institution 
known as the National Defense University of the Philippines (NDUP) shall be 
established. 
SECTION 4. Objectives - The NDUP shall be established to serve as the over-all 
administrative and operational educational institution in the field of defense and 
security education in the country. It shall aim to promote, to the highest degree 
possible, the enhancement and development of national security and defense 
instruction, research and training in the country. 
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SECTION 5. Organizufion -The NDUP shall be organized as an attached agency 
of the Department of National Defense. 
The NDUP shall be headed by a Commandant who shall be appointed by the 
President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Secretary of National 
Defense. The Commandant of the NDUP shall have the rank of, or equivalent to, a 
Lieutenant General in the Armed Forces of the Philippines or a department 
undersecretary as the case may be. 
SECTION 6. Board ofXegenfs - The NDUP shall have a Board of Regents to be 
composed of the following: 
a. Secretary of National Defense 
- 
Chairman 
b. National Security Adviser 
- 
Vice Chairman 
c. Chairman, House Committee on 
- 
Member 
Defense and Security 
d. Chairman, Senate Committee 
- 
Member 
Defense and Security 
e. Chief of Staff, AFP 
- 
Member 
f. Chairman, Commission on Higher 
- 
Member 
Education 
g. Commandant, NDUP 
- 
Member 
SECTION 7. Pozwrs and Functions of fke Board of Regents - The Board of Regents 
shall act on all matters related to the conduct of defense and security education in the 
country which shall include but not limited to the following: 
a. To adopt and define the thrusts of the NDUP and provide policy guidelines 
to ensure their implementation; 
b. To approve any proposal for revision, merger or abolition of any academic or 
training programs or curriculum offered in its autonomous schools and 
colleges; 
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c. To approve the graduation of students as recommended by their respective 
colleges and schools and confer honorary degrees upon persons in 
recognition of their outstanding contributions to defense and security of the 
country; 
d. To approve and promulgate rules on admission and discipline of students as 
recommended by their respective component colleges; 
e. To approve proposals for the creation, organization, abolition, merger or 
reorganization of training and research centers and institutes within the 
NDUP and in each autonomous colleges and schools; 
f. 
To establish and maintain chairs in the autonomous schools and colleges and 
provide for fellowship and scholarship programs to faculty, staff and 
students who demonstrate exceptional merit and fitness; 
g. To appoint heads of constituent and autonomous schools and colleges, 
faculty members and other officials and employees, to draw up a position 
classification and compensation plan for its faculty and staff, and to fix and 
adjust salaries and benefits of the faculty members and other employees; to 
determine their hours. of service, and such other terms and conditions as it 
may deem proper; to grant to them, in its discretion, leave of absence under 
such regulations as it promulgate, any other provisions of law to the contrary 
notwithstanding; and to remove them for cause as provided by law after due 
investigation and proper hearing; 
h. To receive and appropriate all sums as may be provided by law for the 
support of the NDUP to the ends specified by law, and all other sums in the 
manner it may, in its discretion, determine to carry out the purposes and 
functions of this Act; 
i. 
To authorize the construction or repair of its buildings, machinery, 
equipment and other facilities, and the purchase and acquisition of real and 
personal properties, including the necessary supplies, materials and 
equipment; 
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j. 
To receive in trust legacies, gifts and donations of real and personal property 
of all kinds and to administer and dispose the same when necessary for the 
benefit of the NDUP and subject to the instructions of the donor, if any; 
k. To propose, subject to the approval of the Secretary of National Defense, for 
the inclusion of other AFP training and education institutions not covered by 
Section 9 of this Act, into the NDUP system; 
1. To delegate any of its powers to the President or any other officials or officers 
as it may deem necessary; and 
m. To prescribe rules for its own government and the discipline of the faculty 
and other personnel and to enact for the government of the University such 
general policies, rules and regulations, not contrary to law, as are consistent 
with the purposes of this Act. 
The Board of Regents shall have a regular meeting. A simple majority of all the 
members of the Board of Regents holding office at the time the meeting is called shall 
constitute a quorum. 
SECTION 8. The commandant ofNDUP - The Commandant of NDUP is the chief 
academic officer, head of the University Faculty and the chief executive officer of the 
NDUP. The Commandant shall preside over the meetings of the constituent schools and 
colleges, if he or she is in attendance. The Commandant shall likewise exercise the 
powers specifically provided for in this Act, those determined by the Board of Regents, 
those which are usually pertaining to the Office of the Commandant of NDUP and 
those which are related or necessary to its functions. 
SECTION 9. The Constituent and Autonomous Colleges and Schools - The following 
schools and colleges existing under the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the 
Department of National Defense shall be reorganized and placed under the NDUP: 
a. The National Defense College of the Philippines; 
b. The AFP Command and General Staff College ; 
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c. Special Intelligence Training School; and 
d. The AFP Officer’s Candidate School. 
SECTION 10. The National Defense Corlege of the Philippines - The National 
Defense College of the Philippines shall be the country’s highest educational, research 
and training institution fn the field of national security and defense. For this purpose, it 
shall maintain, establish and operate centers and institutes for research, training and 
continuing studies in the field of national security in addition to the regular courses it 
currently undertakes. 
SECTION 11. Academic Programs of the NDCP - Within two years after effectivity 
of this Act, the Academic Board of the NDCP shall offer, subject to the approval of the 
Board of Regents, the course curriculum and other requirements for the conduct of the 
Doctor of National Security Affairs (DNSA). The said course shall be offered in the third 
year following the effectivity of this Act. Provided that no person shall be admitted to 
the program unless he is more than 40 years old at the time of admission, holder of an 
Master in National Security Administration (MNSA) degree or an equivalent masters 
degree from a reputable school, with a rank of Colonel or Naval Captain if from the 
military or Assistant Secretary or its equivalent in the government service or Chairman, 
President or CEO of a private industry or corporation vital to national security and 
interest to be identified by the Board of Regents. 
It shall provide for a continuing program for review and enhancement of other 
courses and program being offered by NDCP in view of national security and defense 
requirements. 
SECTION 12. Grant of Career Executive Service Eligibility - For purposes of 
appointment or promotion to key and sensitive positions in the government, graduates 
of doctoral or graduate courses of the NDCP are granted automatic career executive 
service officer eligibility, level 3 and 5 respectively and preferential consideration 
and/or credit points in the grade or class of their respective positions. This provision 
shall have retroactive effect insofar as it benefits holders of a Masters in National 
Security Administration from NDCP. 
Immediately upon graduation and conferment of academic degrees by the Board 
of Regents, the President of NDCP shall provide a list of graduates to the Career 
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Executive Service Board for formal conferment of corresponding eligibilities. The 
conferment of such eligibilities shall be mandatory upon the Career Executive Service 
Board and shall not be subject to any other requirements except the certification of 
graduation coming from the Board of Regents and/or the President of the NDCP as the 
case may be. 
SECTION 13. Promotion to General/Flag Rank. - For purposes of promotion to the 
rank of brigadier general or flag officer in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a 
master’s degree in national security administration shall be a requirement. Nonetheless, 
accreditation of equivalent courses taken in foreign schools may be allowed as an 
exception on case to case basis. 
SECTION 14. Grant of Commission to Civilian Graduates. - Subject to existing AFP 
regulations, civilian graduates of regular courses from NDCP may be commissioned as 
officers in the Reserve Corps of the APP with the initial rank of lieutenant colonel for 
those who are holders of master’s degree. For holders of Doctorate in National Security 
Affairs, the rank of full colonel may be given provided that the candidate is at least 
forty (40) years old and holds the rank equivalent to a department assistant secretary. 
Those who are holders of commission in the AFP (inactive) below the rank of lieutenant 
colonel shall be promoted to lieutenant colonel or full colonel, as the case may be. 
SECTION 15. The Command and General Staff College (CGSC) - The Command 
and General Staff College (CGSC) shall be placed under the operational and 
administrative supervision of the NDUP. All academic programs, training programs, 
curricula, modules currently conducted by the abovementioned colleges shall, upon 
affectivity of this Act and subject to existing AFP and DND regulations, be reviewed, 
evaluated and approved by the Board of Regents. 
For students coming from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a General Staff 
Course (GSC) shall be a requirement for admission to the National Defense College of 
the Philippines. 
SECTION 16. The Special Intelligence Training School and Oficeus Candidate Schools 
(OCS) - The operational and administrative supervision over the Special Intelligence 
Training School and all other Officers Candidate Schools maintained and operated by 
6 


the Armed Forces of the Philippines shall be transferred to the NDUP. All academic 
programs, training programs, curricula, modules currently conducted by the 
abovementioned schools shall, upon effectivity of this Act and subject to existing AFP 
and DND regulations, be reviewed and evaluated and approved by the Board of 
Regents. 
SECTION 17. Honoraria of Faculty Members and Consultants. - The NDUP shall 
have a core faculty composed of professors, instructors and lecturers on full time basis. 
Consultants of the NDUP on part-time basis may be drawn from the military and 
civilian branches of the national government, from business, and from public and 
private educational institutions. All instructors, professors and lecturers may be rotated 
and assigned to other autonomous colleges and schools if the exigency of service so 
requires. All academic consultants, professors, instructors or lecturers, whether civilian 
or military personnel, in additional to their regular salaries, shall be entitled to receive 
honorarium or fees as may be approved by the Board of Regents. 
SECTION 18. Fiscal Autonomy - The NDUP shall enjoy fiscal autonomy. Pursuant 
to each authority to collect various fees in all academic and training courses, it shall be 
allowed to retain the proceeds of such collection and to appropriate the same for the 
regular expenditure of NDUP subject to government accounting rules and regulations. 
The NDUP may receive in trust legacies, devises, gifts, donations of real and personal 
property of all kinds and nature and to administer the same for the benefit of the NDUP 
in accordance with the instructions or directions of the donor or in default thereof, as 
the law on donation may provide. 
SECTION 19. Personnel Details or Secondment. - Heads of bureaus and officers of 
the national government are hereby authorized to loan or transfer such apparatus or 
supplies as may be needed by the NDUP and to assign employees on detail or 
secondment, for duty therein. For the purpose of promotion or other personnel 
transactions, service in the university either by uniformed or civilian personnel shall be 
counted as part of active service in their mother units. 
SECTION 20. Promulgation of Implementing Rules. - The Secretary of National 
Defense is hereby empowered to promulgate rules and regulations to effectively 
implement the objectives and purposes of this Act. 
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SECTION 21. Initial Appuopriafions. - The amount of One Hundred Fifty Million 
Pesos (Pl50,000,000.00) or such sum or sums as may be needed to carry out the 
provisions of this Act shall be appropriated and shall be carried generally under the 
Department of National Defense in the General Appropriations Act. 
SECTION 22. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, presidential 
issuances, rules and regulations or part thereof contrary to or inconsistent with any 
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly. If any part or 
provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional, the remaining provisions which are 
not affected thereby shall continue to have the force and effect of law. 
SECTION 23. Efectivity - This Act shall take effect immediately upon approval. 
Approved, 
8