INTEGRATING THE BALAOAN SCHOOL OF FISHERIES LOCATED AT BARANGAY PARAOIR, BALAOAN, LA UNION WITH THE DON MARIANO MARCOS MEMORIAL STATE COLLEGE AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS FOR THE PURPOSE.

• Number: Presidential Decree No. 1617
• Sections: 9

Preamble

WHEREAS, the Constitution has mandated the state to establish an educational system that would be relevant to the needs of national development;

WHEREAS, P.D. 6-A, also known as the Educational Decree of 1972, declared it a policy of the government to reorient the educational system towards an accelerated national economic growth and meaningful social development;

WHEREAS, to attain these objectives, at the soonest time possible, there is an apparent need to maximize the utilization of limited resources in the educational system;

WHEREAS, the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State College and the Balaoan School of Fisheries have similar objectives. The State College, through its charter is also mandated to provide professional and advance vocational and technical training in fisheries, and the distance between the two schools is just approximately fifteen kilometers;

WHEREAS, to maximize the use of the manpower and physical resources of these two institutions for greater impact or effectivity there is a need to integrate them under a common administration;

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:

Section 1

SECTION 1. The Balaoan School of Fisheries at Paraoir, Balaoan, La Union, is hereby integrated with the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State College at Bacnotan, La Union.

Section 2

SEC. 2. The Balaoan School of Fisheries shall become the nucleus of an educational program to provide professional and advance vocational and technical instructions in fisheries, geared towards the development of the aqua-marine resources particularly of the province of La Union, and of the Ilocos Region.

Section 3

SEC. 3. The general supervision over all assets, fixed and movable, records, and other properties of the Balaoan School of Fisheries shall be transferred to the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State College.

Section 4

SEC. 4. The incumbent officials, instructional staff and other personnel of the Balaoan School of Fisheries shall continue to serve in their respective functions under their present authorized salary rates, until such time when funds shall be available for the adjustment of salaries in accordance with approved salary scales for state colleges and universities.

Section 5

SEC. 5. The Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State College is hereby authorized to acquire lands of the public domain and to exercise the right of eminent domain for the sites of an expanded fishery education program.

Section 6

SEC. 6. In addition to the current appropriations of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State College and the Balaoan School of Fisheries, the sum of one million pesos is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated for the expansion of the fishery education program. Thereafter, funds for this purpose shall be included in the annual budget of the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State College.

Section 7

SEC. 7. The Minister of Education and Culture is hereby directed to take such steps as are necessary for the immediate implementation of this Decree.

Section 8

SEC. 8. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 12th day of April, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-nine.

(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS

President of the Philippines

By the President:

(Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE

Presidential Executive Assistant