WHEREAS, the Constitution of the Philippines directs the State to establish a complete, adequate and integrated system of education relevant to the goals of national development and prescribes that all educational institutions shall aim to develop scientific, technological and vocational efficiency; WHEREAS, it has been declared a policy of the government under Presidential Decree No. 6-A, otherwise known as the Educational Development Decree of 1972, to reorient the educational system toward an accelerated national economic growth and meaningful social development;
WHEREAS, the Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine Education (PCSPE) recommended that high priority be given to the provision of technical and vocational education and retraining programs in order to meet current and projected needs for trained manpower in a developing society;
WHEREAS, to attain the development of vocational, scientific and technological efficiency necessary for national economic growth and meaningful social development, it is desirable that the education and training of the manpower potential in vocational, technical, industrial, technological and professional skills be approached through a technological program of education;
WHEREAS, the Philippine College of Arts and Trades as a government industrial education institution has been very closely associated with the Colombo Plan Staff College for Technician Education in Singapore, which cooperation has established regional linkage with ASEAN countries;
WHEREAS, to carry out the various programs with which to attain the objectives and goals, there is need to lead in applied research and extension services so that the Philippine College of Arts and Trades could provide consultation and advisory expertise on the national, regional and institutional levels to the other trade-technical, industrial and technological schools, both public and private, and industry in institutional planning and management, curricular development, supervisory and administrative staff development, equipment prototype research, designs and manufacture using available indigenous materials, and technology transfer and dissemination; and
WHEREAS, the Philippine College of Arts and Trades is the oldest industrial school in the country, and as such, has, since 1901, proved a strong agent of change in manpower development for industrial and engineering technicians, and for supervisory and managerial skills and has continued to do so in the implementation of the government policies in its accelerated programs;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree: