-
A law renaming the Philippine State College of Aeronautics as the National Aviation Academy of the Philippines was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last week
-
Republic Act No. 12255 established the NAAP as the national professional institution for aviation that specializes in providing aviation and aviation-related programs
-
The NAAP is mandated to develop the Philippine aviation and aerospace industries, both in the private-commercial sector and the government
A law renaming the Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA) as the National Aviation Academy of the Philippines (NAAP) was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last week.
Republic Act No. 12255 established the NAAP as the national professional institution for aviation that specializes in providing aviation and aviation-related programs.
The NAAP is mandated to develop the Philippine aviation and aerospace industries, both in the private-commercial sector and the government, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines and its three main services — the Philippine Air Force, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Army.
The current aviation programs offered by PhilSCA will be retained and improved.
According to PhilSCA, the law will not affect the position of all its existing faculty and employees.
As PhilSCA transitions to NAAP, the incumbent president of PhilSCA will serve as the first president of NAAP for a term of four years without reappointment.
Based on RA 12255, the NAAP shall offer short-term, technical-vocational, undergraduate, and graduate courses and specialization in aviation and aviation-related programs, including:
- Bachelor of Science in Air Transportation specializing in Commercial Pilot;
- Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, including Drone Technology;
- Associate in Aircraft Maintenance Technology; and
- Associate in Aircraft Electronic Technology leading to Baccalaureate in Aircraft Maintenance Technology and Baccalaureate in Aircraft Electronics Technology.
It also provides for education in aviation safety and security, supply chain management specializing in aviation logistics, and aviation information technology.
READ: 2025 PH Aviation Summit highlights industry move to global arena
The NAAP will be composed of regular and extension campuses.
At present, there are four regular campuses located at Villamor Air Base, Pasay City as the main campus; Basa Air Base, Pampanga; Fernando Air Base, Batangas; and Brig. Gen. Benito N. Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.
The extension campuses of NAAP will be the existing PhilSCA campuses at Basa-Palmayo campus in Floridablanca, Pampanga; and at the BGBNEAB campus in Medellin, Cebu.
More campuses may be established in the future by the NAAP Board of Trustees, upon recommendation of its president.
As a state university, NAAP students will continue to enjoy free tuition under RA 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
The NAAP charter democratizes the admission process “to enhance its programs and services for disadvantaged students, such as indigenous peoples, poor but deserving students, valedictorians and salutatorians of public high schools, and students from depressed areas.”
Under the law, NAAP shall admit at least one student from every region, who shall be recommended by their respective regional councils.
Under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, PhilSCA has a budget of P491.5 million. For 2026, it is requesting a P530.3-million allocation.
From 2014 to 2024, the PhilSCA system maintained an average annual enrollment of 18,040 students while producing an average of 3,266 graduates per year during the same period.
Earlier, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian sought the passage of the bill that renames PhilSCA as the NAAP to promote aviation safety and security.
Under Senate Bill No. 2969, the NAAP, is mandated to provide young Filipinos with world-class academic and professional training in the field of aviation and other related fields.
READ: Clark International Aviation Campus soon to rise
