REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7666 - AN
ACT CONVERTING THE SORSOGON COLLEGE OF ARTS AND TRADES IN THE
MUNICIPALITY OF SORSOGON, PROVINCE OF SORSOGON, INTO A STATE COLLEGE TO
BE KNOWN AS THE SORSOGON STATE COLLEGE, INTEGRATING THEREWITH THE
MAGALLANES SCHOOL OF FISHERIES IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF MAGALLANES, THE
SORSOGON NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF CASTILLA,
AND THE BULAN VOCATIONAL SCHOOL IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF BULAN, ALL IN
THE PROVINCE OF SORSOGON, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORE
Section 1. The Sorsogon College of Arts and Trades in the
Municipality of Sorsogon, Province of Sorsogon, is hereby converted
into a state college to be known as the Sorsogon State College,
hereinafter referred to as the College and integrating therewith as its
branches, the Magallanes School of Fisheries located in the
Municipality of Magallanes, the Sorsogon National Agricultural School
located in the Municipality of Castilla, and the Bulan Vocational
School in the Municipality of Bulan, all in the Province of
Sorsogon.
Sec. 2. The College shall primarily provided
higher professional, technical, and special instructions for the
special purposes and promote research and extension services, advanced
studies and progressive leadership in education, engineering, arts and
sciences, and other fields as may be relevant. It shall also provide
primary consideration to the integration of research/studies for the
development of the Province of Sorsogon.
Sec. 3. The College shall offer undergraduate and
graduate courses in the fields of education, engineering, arts and
sciences, agro/fisheries courses, and other degree courses as the Board
of Trustees may deem necessary to carry out its objectives. It shall
also offer opportunity in short-term technical or vocational courses
within its area of specialization to meet the needs of the nation.
Sec. 4. The existing high schools shall be
transferred under the supervision of the Department of Education,
Culture and Sports: provided, that these high schools shall be allowed
to remain and operate within the campuses of the College until they
shall have been transferred to other locations, or until its students
shall have been accommodated in other high schools, public or private:
provided, further, that the College may operate a reasonably-sized
laboratory school of one or, at most, four classes per curriculum year
if it offers a teacher training program.
Sec. 5. The College shall have the general powers
of a corporation set forth in the Corporation Law. The administration
of the College and the exercise of its corporate powers shall be vested
exclusively in the Board of Trustees and the President of the College
insofar as authorized by the Board.
Sec. 6. The governing body of the College shall be
the Board of Trustees, hereinafter referred to as the Board, which
shall be composed of the following:
(a) The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports,
chairman;
(b) The President of the College, vice-chairman;
(c) The Chairman or member of the Committee on
Education of the Senate, member;
(d) The Chairman or member of the Committee on
Education of the House of Representatives, member;
(e) The representative of the National Economic and
Development Authority, member;
(f) The president of the federation of faculty
associations of the College, member; and
(g) The president of the federation of supreme
student councils of the College, member.
In addition, the Board may appoint the following as members, when
deemed necessary:
The president of the federation of alumni associations of the College;
The president of the federation of employees associations of the
College; and
Two (2) prominent citizens who have distinguished themselves in their
profession or fields of specialization of the College chosen from among
those qualified in the Province of Sorsogon.
The presidents of the federation of alumni associations and of the
federation of employees associations as well as the two (2) prominent
citizens so appointed by the Board shall have the same powers,
authority, and privileges as the regular members of the Board.
The Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports, the President of the
College, the Education Committee Chairmen of the Senate and the House,
and the representative of the National Economic and Development
Authority, shall have an ex officio term of office, while the
presidents of the federation of faculty associations and the federation
of student councils and, when deemed necessary, the presidents of the
federation of alumni associations and the federation of employees
associations shall serve for one (1) year and, when likewise necessary,
the two (2) prominent citizens shall serve for four (4) years and two
(2) years, respectively.
For the purpose of the provision of this section, the associations of
faculty, alumni and employees associations and student councils in each
campus of the College shall organize their respective federations.
Sec. 7. The Board shall promulgate and implement
policies in accordance with the declared state policies on education
and other pertinent provisions of the Philippine Constitution on
education, science and technology, arts, culture and sports.
Sec. 8. The Board shall have the following
specific powers and duties in addition to its general powers of
administration and the exercise of all the powers granted to the board
of directors of a corporation under existing laws:
(a) To enact rules and regulations not contrary to
law as may be necessary to carry out the purposes and functions of the
College;
(b) To import duty-free materials and equipment for
educational or technological programs as an exception to existing laws,
provided such materials and equipment are not available locally;
(c) To receive in trust legacies, gifts and donation
of real and personal properties of all kinds and to administer and
dispose the same when necessary for the benefit of the College and
subject to the limitations, directions, and instructions of the donor,
if any. Such donations shall be exempt from all taxes and shall be
considered as deductible items from the income tax of the donor;
(d) 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;
(e) To authorize the construction or repair of its
buildings, machineries, equipment and other facilities 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;
(f) To confirm appointments of vice-presidents,
deans, directors, heads of departments, faculty members and other
officials and employees of the College made by the President of the
College;
(g) To approve the curricula, institutional programs
and rules of discipline drawn by the administrative and academic
councils as herein provided;
(h) To confer degrees upon successful candidates for
graduation, to award honorary degree upon persons in recognition of
outstanding contribution in the fields of education, public service,
arts, science and technology or in any field of specialization and to
authorize the award of certificates for completion of non-degree and
non-traditional courses;
(i) To establish not more than two (2) branches
within the Province of Sorsogon 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 education
opportunities as mandated by the Constitution;
(j) To establish chairs in the College and to provide
fellowships for qualified faculty members and scholarships to deserving
students; and
(k) The Board shall have the power to
absorb/integrate other public schools within the province that will
eventually offer tertiary courses in the future.
Sec. 9. A quorum of the Board shall consist of a
majority of all members holding office at the time of the meeting:
provided, however, that among those present is the Secretary of
Education, Culture and Sports, who is Chairman of the Board, or the
President of the College who acts as presiding officer in the former's
absence. The Board shall convene regularly once every two (2) months.
The Chairman of the Board may call a special meeting whenever
necessary.
The members of the Board shall not receive salary but shall be entitled
to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred either in
attendance in meetings of the Board or in other official business
authorized by resolution of the Board subject to existing laws on
honoraria and allowances.
SECTION 10. The College shall be headed by a
President to be appointed by the President of the Philippines upon
recommendation of the Board and 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 in the office of the President by reason of death,
resignation, incapacity of the President to perform the functions of
his office, or removal for cause, the Board shall have the authority to
designate an officer-in-charge of the College pending the appointment
of a successor. The new President shall hold office for the unexpired
term but in no case shall his term be more than six (6) years subject
to the provision of the preceding paragraph.
The powers and duties of the President of the College, in addition to
those specifically provided in this Act, shall be those usually
pertaining to the office of the president of a college.
The salary of the President of the College shall be fixed by the Board
and shall be comparable to that being received by the president of
similar educational institutions of like enrollment and standing.
SECTION 11. There shall be an administrative council
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.
SECTION 12. There shall be an academic council with
the President of the College as chairman and all members of the
instructional staff with the rank of not lower than assistant professor
as members. The academic council shall have the power to prescribe
curricular offerings subject to the approval of the Board. It shall fix
the requirements for admission to the College as well as for graduation
and the conferring of degrees subject to review and/or approval by the
Board through the President of the College. It shall also have
disciplinary power through the President over the students within the
limits
prescribed by the rules of discipline as approved by the Board.
SECTION 13. There shall be a Secretary of the College
who shall be appointed by the Board upon recommendation of the
President of the College. He shall also be the Secretary of the Board
and shall keep such records of the College as may be determined by the
Board.
SECTION 14. The Treasurer of the Philippines shall be
the ex officio treasurer of the College.
SECTION 15. 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.
SECTION 16. No student shall be denied admission to
the College by reason of sex, nationality, religion, or political
affiliation.
SECTION 17. The College shall enjoy academic freedom.
SECTION 18. On or before the fifteenth day of the
second month after the opening of regular classes each year, the Board
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 on the progress, conditions, and needs of
the College.
SECTION 19. All the assets, fixed and movable,
personnel and records of the Sorsogon College of Arts and Trade, the
Magallanes School of Fisheries, the Sorsogon National Agricultural
School, and the Bulan Vocational School, except those belonging to or
to be used by the elementary and high school, as well as liabilities or
obligations, are hereby transferred to the College: provided, however,
that the positions, rights, and security of tenure of personnel therein
employed under existing laws prior to absorption by the College are not
impaired: provided, further, that the incumbent of the positions shall
remain in the same status until otherwise provided for by the Board.
All parcels of land belonging to the government occupied by the
Sorsogon College of Arts and Trade, the Magallanes School of Fisheries,
the Sorsogon National Agricultural School, and the Bulan Vocational
School, are hereby declared to be the property of the Sorsogon State
College and shall be titled under the name of the College: provided,
that should the College cease to exist or be abolished or should such
parcels of land aforementioned be no longer needed by the College, the
same shall revert to the Province of Sorsogon.
Sec. 20. All accounts and expenses of the College
shall be audited by the Commission on Audit or its duly authorized
representative.
Sec. 21. The heads of bureaus and offices of the
National Government are hereby authorized to loan or transfer, upon
request of the President of the College, such apparatus, equipment or
supplies as may be needed by the College and to detail employees for
duty therein when in the judgment of the head of the bureau or office,
such apparatus, equipment, supplies or services of such employees can
be spared without serious detriment to the public service. The
employees so detailed shall perform such duties as required of them by
the President of the College and the time so employed shall be counted
as part of their official service.
Sec. 22. It shall be a continuing policy of the
College to accept the affiliation and/or integration within its
operation of any existing national schools whose program can contribute
largely and effectively to the attainment of its objectives: provided,
however, that, in case of integration, the Secretary of Education,
Culture and Sports, is hereby authorized to determine and approve the
specific existing national schools that are to be integrated as part of
the College. In this particular case, it is understood that all funds,
properties and other assets as well as obligations of the integrated
schools shall be transferred to the College.
Sec. 23. The current year's appropriations of the
Sorsogon College of Arts and Trade, the Magallanes School of Fisheries,
the Sorsogon National Agricultural School, and the Bulan Vocational
School, except the sum necessary to continue the operations of the
existing high schools, are hereby transferred to the College.
Thereafter, such amount as may be necessary for the continued operation
and maintenance of the College shall be included in the annual General
Appropriations Act.
Sec. 24. All laws, presidential decrees, executive
orders, rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the
provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified
accordingly.
Sec. 25. This Act shall take effect upon its
approval.
Approved: December 30, 1993
|