REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7352 - AN ACT CONVERTING THE PRESENT CAMARINES NORTE NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF DAET INTO A STATE COLLEGE TO BE KNOWN AS THE CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE, INTEGRATING FOR THE PURPOSE THE ABANO PILOT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, IN DAET, MERCEDES SCHOOL OF FISHERIES IN MERCEDES, CAMARINES NORTE NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL IN LABO AND THE CAMARINES NORTE NATIONAL SCHOOL OF ARTS AND TRADES IN JOSE PANGANIBAN, ALL IN THE PROVINCE OF CAMARINES NORTE, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORE

Section 1.    The present Camarines Norte National High School is hereby converted into a state college to be known as the Camarines Norte State College and integrating thereto the Abano Pilot Elementary School as its training center, Mercedes School of Fisheries and Camarines Norte National Agricultural School as its College of Agriculture; and the Camarines Norte National School of Arts and Trades as its College of Engineering and Architecture.

Sec. 2.    The Camarines Norte State College, which shall hereinafter be referred to as the State College, shall primarily provide higher technological and professional instruction and training in the fields of economics, agriculture, health, engineering, education, management, finance, accounting, forest research and conservation, business and public administration as well as short-term technical and vocational courses. It shall also provide and promote research and extension services, advanced studies and progressive leadership in all areas of discipline and responsibilities.

Sec. 3.    In addition to the two-year agricultural technology curriculum of Camarines Norte National Agricultural School, the State College shall offer undergraduate courses leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with appropriate major fields of specialization, Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Bachelor of Science if Forestry, Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science in Education, Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Nursing and graduate courses leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Educational Management, Master of Science in Fisheries, Master of Science in Agriculture, Master in Public Administration Master in Management, and such other courses as the Board of Regents may deem necessary. 

Sec. 4.    The head of the State College shall be known as the President. He shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation of the Board of Regents as hereinafter provided.

The powers and duties of the President of the State College, in addition to those specifically provided for in this Act, shall be those usually pertaining to the office of the president of a state college. His salary shall be fixed by the Board of Regents comparable to that being received by presidents of similar educational institutions of like enrollment and standing.

The President of the State College shall hold office for a term of six (6) years without reappointment unless he reaches the age of retirement of earlier removed for cause or incapacitated to discharge the duties of his office.

Sec. 5.    The governing body of the Camarines Norte State College shall be the Board Regents of the State College. It shall be composed of the following;

Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports, Chairman;

President of the Camarines Norte State College, Vice-Chairman;

Chairman of the Committee on Education and Culture of the Senate member;

Chairman of the Committee on Education and Culture of the House of Representatives, member;

Representative of the National Economic and Development Authority, member;

President of the faculty association of the State College, member; 

President of the supreme student council of the State College, member;

President of the alumni association of the State College, member;

President of the employee association of the State College, member; and

Two (2) prominent residents of the Province of Camarines Norte which have distinguished themselves in their professions of fields of specialization of the State College, members; Provided, that the President of the alumni association and of the employee association as well as the two (2) prominent residents shall be elected by the Board when deemed necessary who shall have the same powers, authority and privileges as the regular members of the Board: provided, further, that the Department of Education, Culture and Sports Secretary, The President of the State College, the Education and Culture Committee Chairmen of the Senate and the House, and the NEDA representative shall have an ex officio term of office, while the presidents of the faculty associations, supreme student council and when deemed necessary, the presidents of the alumni association and employees association shall serve for one (1) year, and when likewise necessary the two (2) prominent residents shall serve for four (4) years and two (2) years, respectively.

Sec. 6.    The members of the Board, including the Chairman, shall be entitled to an allowance of Three Hundred pesos (P300.00) per meeting actually attended but in no case shall exceed Six Hundred pesos (P600.00) a month; Provided, that actual and necessary expenses incurred in attending meeting of the Board or upon the other official business authorized by resolution thereof shall be reimbursable. The Board of Regents shall convene regularly once every two (2) months on the first Friday thereof. The Chairman may call a special meeting whenever necessary. 

Sec. 7.    In addition to its general powers of administration, the Board of Regents shall exercise and perform the following powers and duties:

(a)    To confer degrees upon successful candidates for graduation of the State College. It may also confer honorary degrees upon persons in recognition of their achievements, statesmanship and eminence in industry or public service related to the aforementioned fields. Provided, that no such degrees shall be conferred in consideration of or to reciprocate personal favors;

(b)    To appoint upon recommendation of the President, the deans, the registrar of the State College, the secretary of the State College, the heads of departments, professors, instructors, lecturers, administrative and supervisory officials and such other personnel complement as are necessary to effectively implement the State College's program; to fix their compensation and salaries, to prescribe hours of service and other duties as may be deemed proper; to grant them, in its discretion, leaves of absence under regulations promulgated by the Board, other provisions of law notwithstanding; to prescribe rules of academic discipline for education, professional growth of the faculty and other administrative personnel, and to remove them for cause after due investigation and hearing pursuant to the Civil Service Law; and to establish professional chairs in the State College and to provide for the maintenance or endorsement of such chairs as may be necessary;

(c)    To authorized the President of the State College to award proficiency certification of diploma to students who have completed nondegree courses;

(d)    To approve the curricular offerings and rules of discipline prepared by the College Council as hereinafter provided. 

(e)    To fix the tuition fees and other necessary school charges, such as, but not limited to, matriculation fees, graduation fees and laboratory fees. Such fees and charges, including government subsidies and other income generated by the State College, constitute a special trust fund and shall be deposited in any authorized government of depository bank. Any and all interests that shall accrue therefrom shall form part of the same fund for the use of the State College. Any provision of existing laws to the contrary notwithstanding, income generated by the State College and all sums appropriated for the support of the State College may, at the discretion of the Board, be disbursed for the professional growth and development, health, welfare, and other similar benefits for its faculty members and personnel, for the acquisition, construction, maintenance, and repair of urgently needed instructional and auxiliary facilities, equipment, buildings, and other infrastructures and for other expenses necessary for the attainment of its purposes under this Act. If for any reason, the State College shall not be able to pursue any project for which funds have been appropriated for reasons beyond control and allocated under its approved program of expenditures, the Board of Regents may authorize the use of said funds for any reasonable purpose which in its discretion may be necessary and urgent for the attainment of the objectives and goals of the State College;

(f)    To provide fellowships and scholarships for qualified and deserving faculty members and students;

(g)    To prescribe rules for its own government and to enact for the government of the State College such general ordinances and regulations, not contrary to law, as are consistent with the purposes of the State College, as defined in Sec. 2 of this Act;

(h)    To receive in trust legacies, gifts, and donations of real and personal property of all kinds; to administer the same for the benefit of the State College or Department thereof, or for aid to any student or students, in accordance with the directions and instructions of the donors and, in default thereof, in such manner as the Board of Regents may, in its discretion, determine. All such donations shall be exempt from all taxes and be considered as deductible items from the income tax of the donors;

(i)    To import duty-free commodities for educational purposes as an exemption to existing laws; 

(j)    To authorize the State College to undertake the construction and/or repair of its buildings, machineries and equipment and other facilities, any provision of law or executive order to the contrary notwithstanding: provided, that the funds for the purpose shall come from its appropriations;

(k)    To acquire additional sites or campuses and to provide facilities and improvements as may be necessary; and

(l)    To provide vocational training to adult citizens and out-of-school youths of the community.

Sec. 8.    On or before the fifteenth of the second month after the opening of regular classes each year, the Board of Regents shall submit to the President of the Philippines, through the Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports, as well as to both houses of Congress, a detailed report setting forth the progress, condition and needs of the State College.

Sec. 9.    There shall be a College Council constituting of the President of the State College as presiding officer, the Vice-President, the College Registrar and all professors and instructors as members. The Council shall have the power to prescribe the curriculum and the rules of discipline and recommend appointments of personnel subject to the approval of the Board of Regents. It shall fix the requirements for admission to the State College, as well as for graduation and the conferring of titles or degrees subject to review by the Board of Regents. The Council alone shall have the power to recommend students or others to be recipients of degrees. Through the President of the State College or a duly authorized committee, the Council shall have disciplinary power over the students within the limits prescribed by the rules of discipline as approved by the Board of Regents.  

SECTION 10.    The body of instructors and professors of the State College shall constitute the faculty of instruction with the President of the Camarines Norte State College as presiding officer. In the appointment of the State College faculty, no religious opinion or party affiliation shall be subject of examination or inquiry.

SECTION 11.    Professors, instructors and other teaching personnel of the State College shall be exempted from Civil Service examination or regulation as a requisite for appointment.

SECTION 12.    The Treasurer of the Philippines shall be ex officio Treasurer of the State College and all accounts and expenses shall be audited by the Chairman of the Commission on Audit or his duly authorized representatives.

SECTION 13.    There shall be a Secretary of the State College who shall be appointed by the Board of Regents upon recommendation of the President of the State College. He shall also be the Secretary of the Board and shall keep such records of the State College as may be determined by the Board of Regents.

SECTION 14.    To help the Camarines Norte State College achieve its educational, research and extension aims, the State College is hereby empowered to negotiate or make arrangements with sister government or private organizations and to seek the assistance of educational foundations in promoting the programs of instruction, research and extension.

SECTION 15.    Subject to the approval of the Board of Regents, the President of the State College, in behalf of the Republic of the Philippines, may contract loans, credits or indebtedness from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) or the Philippine National Bank (PNB), and any foreign sources of lender to finance self-liquidating construction projects: provided, that the total yearly amortization of such loan, including interest, shall not exceed seventy-five percent (75%) of the total yearly expected production income of the State College. 

SECTION 16.    The requirements provided in this Act as may prove adverse to the present faculty and employees of the Camarines Norte National High School, Mercedes School of Fisheries, Camarines Norte National Agricultural School, Camarines Norte National School of Arts and Trades and Abano Pilot Elementary School who may be absorbed by the Camarines Norte State College shall not apply to them. The present officials, faculty and employees of the aforementioned government schools shall be absorbed by the State College and shall be given priority in promotion of the different positions created as a result of this Act. Future appointees to the said positions, however, shall be subjected to all requirements provided in this Act.

SECTION 17.    All assets of the Camarines Norte National High School, Mercedes School of Fisheries, Camarines Norte National Agricultural School, Camarines Norte National School of Arts and Trades and Abano Pilot Elementary School, their buildings, equipment, records and other physical faculties shall be transferred to and shall become the property of the Camarines Norte State College.

All parcels of land titled or declared in the name of the aforementioned government schools shall be transferred to the Camarines Norte State College and the Registrar of Deeds of the Province of Camarines Norte shall issue to the Camarines Norte State College the corresponding Transfer Certificate of Title for the aforementioned parcels of land. All balances in cash, depositories and appropriations, including accounting records, of the Camarines Norte National High School, Mercedes School of Fisheries, Camarines Norte National Agricultural School, Camarines Norte National School of Arts and Trades and Abano Pilot Elementary School shall likewise be transferred to the Camarines Norte State College.

SECTION 18.    The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports, as Chairman of the Board of Regents, is hereby directed to take such steps as are necessary for the immediate implementation of this Act.

SECTION 19.    The amount needed to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be charged against the current fiscal year appropriations of the Camarines Norte National High School, Abano Pilot Elementary School, Mercedes School of Fisheries, Camarines Norte National Agricultural School and Camarines Norte National School of Arts and Trades. Thereafter, such sum as may be necessary for its continued operation shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

Sec. 20.    All laws, decrees and executive orders contrary to or inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

Sec. 21.    This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

Approved: April 2, 1992