Early years The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) was established in 1957, seceding from Student Council's Association of the Philippines. The group seceded partly because leaders of the former group promised votes for politicians, which affected and silenced students' opinions.
Artemio Panganiban became one of the co-founders of NUSP and served as its president from 1958 to 1959.
Marcos dictatorship The union has been very active as part of the
student movement in the Philippines.
Edgar Jopson was elected NUSP president during the 13th annual conference in 1969. After the conference, they led a major mobilization rally in front of the Congress, while then-president
Ferdinand Marcos was delivering his
State of the Nation Address (SONA). During the joint mobilization of moderates and radicals, about 5 p.m., students threw a coffin and a stuffed alligator at Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos as they left the
Congress Building. They also burned an effigy of Marcos. Under Jopson's two-term tenure, the union participated in socio-political issues, especially as part of the
First Quarter Storm and the
Second Propaganda Movement. They were concerned with Marcos's
Constitutional Convention from 1971 to 1973. NUSP was a moderate group during this time, as compared to
Kabataang Makabayan, a more radical youth group that pursued systemic structural changes.
Post-EDSA NUSP was also part of the
Second People Power Uprising. During the early administration of President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, a youth initiative called Youth Movement for Justice and Meaningful Change, composed of
Anakbayan,
League of Filipino Students,
Student Christian Movement of the Philippines,
College Editors' Guild of the Philippines, and NUSP met at the office of Anakbayan in Padre Noval,
Sampaloc, Manila, to discuss plans to advance the interests of the Filipino youth. Talks were made due to the disillusionment brought by the new administration. Eventually, these talks culminated in the formation of
Anak ng Bayan Youth Party (Kabataan Partylist) on June 19, 2001, coinciding with the birthday of
José Rizal. == Notable alumni ==