REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7605 - AN ACT
CONVERTING THE PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS INTO A STATE
COLLEGE TO BE KNOWN AS THE PHILIPPINE STATE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS AND
FOR OTHER PURPOSES, AMENDING PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NUMBERED TEN HUNDRED
AND SEVENTY-EIGHT ENTITLED, "CONVERTING THE BASA AIR BASE COMMUNITY
COLLEGE INTO THE PHILIPPINE AIR FORCE COLLEGE OF AERONAUTICS, PROVIDING
FOR A CHARTER FOR THIS PURPOSE"
Section 1. Section s 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17 and
18 of Presidential Decree No. 1078 are hereby amended to read as
follows:
"Section 1. The present Philippine Air Force College of
Aeronautics located within the school zone at the five (5) Philippine
Air Force bases of Villamor, Basa, Mactan, Fernando, and Sangley, a
nonmilitary institution, is hereby converted into a state college to be
known as the Philippine State College of Aeronautics. The
Philippine State College of Aeronautics shall hereafter be referred to
as the College.
"Sec. 2. The College shall provide professional and
advanced technical and technological instruction and training in the
preparatory field of aeronautics and the liberal arts courses. It
shall promote research and advanced studies, and progressive leadership
in its fields of specialization.
"Sec. 3. In addition to said offerings, the College
shall offer post graduate courses in the fields of specialization
abovementioned, subject to existing laws and DECS rules and regulations.
"Sec. 5. The College shall have a Board of Trustees
which shall be the governing body of the College. There shall be
eleven (11) ex officio members of the Board and two (2) non ex officio
members. The ex officio members are the Secretary of Education,
Culture and Sports, who shall be the Chairman of the Board; the
President of the College, who shall be the Vice-Chairman; the
Commanding General of the Philippine Air Force; the Chairman of the
Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture; the Chairman of the
House of Representatives Committee on Education and Culture; a
representative from the Department of Finance; a representative from
the National Economic and Development Authority; the President of the
Employees' Association; and the President of the Student Council of the
College, who shall be members of the Board. Two (2) prominent
citizens, who are residents of the abovementioned military bases, shall
be chosen as members of the Board: provided, that one shall serve a
term of four (4) years and the other shall serve a term of two (2)
years.
"Sec. 6. The College shall be headed by a President
to be appointed by the President of the Philippines upon recommendation
of the Board of Trustees. His salary shall be fixed by the Board
of Trustees subject to existing laws, and which shall, whenever
applicable, be comparable to that being received by Presidents of
educational institutions of like standing. He shall hold office
for a term of six (6) years without reappointment, unless he reaches
the age of retirement or earlier removed for cause or incapacitated to
discharge the duties of the office. In case of vacancy by reason
of death, resignation or incapacity of the President to perform the
function of the office, the Board shall have the authority to designate
an officer-in-charge of the College pending the appointment of a new
president.
"Sec. 9. A quorum of the Board of Trustees shall
consist of a majority of all the members holding office at the time a
meeting is called: provided, however, that among those present are the
Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports who is the Chairman of the
Board, or the President of the College who acts as the presiding
officer in the former's absence. The Board of Trustees shall
convene regularly once every two (2) months. The Chairman of the
Board of Trustees may call a special meeting whenever necessary.
All processes against the Board of Trustees shall be served on the
President or Secretary thereof.
"Sec. 11. The Board of Trustees shall have the
following powers and duties in addition to its general powers of
administration, and the exercise of all the powers of a corporation as
provided under Sec. 36 of Batas Pambansa Blg. 68, otherwise known as
the Corporation Code of the Philippines:
"(a) To receive and appropriate for the purpose
specified by laws such sums as may be provided for the support of the
College;
"(b) To confer degrees upon successful candidates for
graduation of the College. It may also confer honorary degrees
upon persons in recognition of learning, statesmanship or eminence in
any of the fields of specialization of the College, or in recognition
of public service: provided, that such degrees shall not be conferred
in consideration of or to reciprocate some personal favors: provided,
further, that such honorary degrees shall not be conferred without
prior approval of the Secretary of Education and Culture;
"(c) To authorize the President of the College to
award proficiency certificates or diploma to students who have
completed non-degree courses;
"(d) To appoint on recommendation of the President of
the College, a vice-president, deans, directors, secretaries of the
College, registrar, heads of departments, professors, instructors,
lecturers, and other officials and employees of the College; to fix
their compensation, hours of service, and such other duties and
conditions as it may deem proper; and to grant them in its discretion,
leave of absence, under such regulations as it may promulgate; to
remove them for cause after an investigation and hearing; to establish
chairs in the College, and to provide for the maintenance or
endorsement of such chairs as may be necessary;
"(e) To approve the curricula, institutional programs
and rules of discipline drawn by the College Council as hereinafter
provided;
"(f) To fix the tuition fees and other necessary
school charges, such as, but not limited to, matriculation fees,
graduation fees, and laboratory fees, as the Board may deem proper to
impose. Such fees and charges, including government subsidies and
other income generated by the College, constitute special trust funds
and shall be deposited in any authorized government depository
bank. Any and all interests that shall accrue therefrom shall
form part of the same fund for the use of the College. Any
provision of existing laws to the contrary notwithstanding, incomes
generated by the College and all sums appropriated for the support of
the College may, at the discretion of the Board, be disbursed for the
professional growth and development, health, welfare and other similar
benefits of their faculty members and personnel, for the acquisition,
construction, maintenance and repair of urgently needed instructional
and auxiliary facilities, equipment, buildings and other
infrastructure, and for expenses necessary for the attainment of its
purposes under this Act. If, for any reason, the 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 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 College;
"(g) To provide fellowship for qualified faculty
members and scholarships to deserving students;
"(h) To prescribe for the College such rules and
regulations, not contrary to law, as may be necessary to carry out the
purpose and function of the College;
"(i) 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 College, or any department thereof, or aid
to any student in accordance with the directions and instructions of
the donor, and in default thereof, in such manner as the Board of
Trustee may, in its discretion, determine. All such donations
shall be exempt from all taxes and deductible items from the income tax
of the donors;
"(j) To authorize the College to undertake
construction and/or repair of its buildings, machinery and equipment
and other facilities, subject to existing laws, orders and decrees, and
the purchase and acquisition of real and personal properties, including
necessary supplies, materials and equipment. Purchases and other
transactions entered into by the College, through the Board, shall be
exempt from all taxes and duties; and
"(k) To establish branches in the cities and
provinces if and when it becomes essential and necessary where there is
no existing school offering similar programs or courses to promote and
carry out equal access to educational opportunities as mandated by the
Constitution.
"Sec. 12. On or before the fifteenth day of the
second month after the opening of regular classes each year, the Board
of Trustees shall file with the Office of the President of the
Philippines, through the Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports,
and to both Houses of Congress, a detailed report, setting forth the
progress, conditions and needs of the College.
"Sec. 12-A. There shall be an Administrative Council
of the College consisting of the President of the College, as Chairman,
the vice-president(s), deans, directors and other officials of equal
rank, whose duty is to implement the policies governing the
administration, management and development planning of the College as
approved by the Board.
"Sec. 14. The body of instructors and professors of
the College shall constitute the faculty of the College. The
faculty of the College shall be appointed by the Board subject to the
Civil Service Law. No religious opinion or affiliation shall be a
matter of inquiry in the appointment of faculty members of the College:
provided, however, that no member of the faculty shall teach for or
against any particular church or religious sect.
"Sec. 16-A. All accounts and expenses of the College
shall be audited by the Commission on Audit or its duly authorized
representative.
"Sec. 17-A. Pursuant to paragraph 2, Sec. 5 of
Article XIV of the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines, the
College shall enjoy academic freedom.
"Sec. 18. The College shall offer low-cost education
and training without sacrificing the quality of education. The
income derived from fees of students shall be used to defray the cost
of operations of the College, which cost of operations shall not exceed
those of other state colleges of the same level. The cost of
operations not met by the amount collected from the students' fees
shall be granted as government subsidy."
Sec. 2. The Secretary of Education, Culture and
Sports as Chairman of the Board of Trustees is hereby directed to take
such steps as are necessary for the immediate implementation of this
Act.
Sec. 3. The amount necessary to carry out the
provisions of this Act shall be charged against the current
appropriation of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.
Thereafter, such sums as may be needed for the continued operation of
the College shall be included in the annual General Appropriations
Act.
Sec. 4. This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.
Approved: June 3, 1992
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