AN ACT CONVERTING THE CATANDUANES STATE COLLEGES IN THE PROVINCE OF CATANDUANES INTO A STATE UNIVERSITY TO BE KNOWN AS THE CATANDUANES STATE UNIVERSITY AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

• Number: Republic Act No. 10229
• Sections: 28

Section 1 Conversion.

SECTION 1. Conversion. – The Catanduanes State Colleges

(CSC) in the Province of Catanduanes, composed of CSC – Virac Campus in

the Municipality of Virac and CSC – Panganiban Campus in the

Municipality of Panganiban, both located in the Province of Catanduanes,

is hereby converted into a state university to be known as the

Catanduanes State University, hereinafter referred to as the University.

The main campus of the University shall be in Virac, Catanduanes.

Section 2 General Mandate.

SEC. 2. General Mandate. – The University shall primarily

provide advanced education, higher technological, professional

instruction and training in trade, commerce, fishery, agriculture, arts

and sciences, industrial technology, nursing, midwifery, education,

engineering, public administration, information technology, and other

relevant fields of study. It shall also undertake research and extension

services, and provide progressive leadership in its areas of

specialization.

Section 3 Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy.

SEC. 3. Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy. –

The University shall enjoy academic freedom and institutional autonomy,

pursuant to paragraph 2, Section 5 of Article XIV of the Constitution of

the Republic of the Philippines.

Section 4 Curricular Offerings.

SEC. 4. Curricular Offerings. – The University shall

offer undergraduate and graduate courses in the fields of trade,

commerce, fishery, agriculture, arts and sciences, industrial

technology, nursing, midwifery, education, engineering, public

administration, information technology, and other degrees/courses within

its areas of specialization and according to its capabilities as the

Board of Regents may deem necessary to carry out its objectives,

particularly in meeting the needs of the Province of Catanduanes and

Region V.

The existing high school shall be transferred to the jurisdiction and supervision of the Department of Education (DepED): Provided, That

the high school shall be allowed to remain and operate within the

campus of the University until its students, who are currently enrolled,

shall have completed then-high school education: Provided, further, That the University may operate a reasonably-sized laboratory school, if it has a College of Education.

Section 5 Administration.

SEC. 5. Administration. – The University shall have the

general powers of a corporation set forth in Batas Pambansa Blg. 68, as

amended, otherwise known as “The Corporation Code of the Philippines”.

The administration of the University and the exercise of its corporate

powers shall be vested exclusively in the Board of Regents and the

President of the University.

Section 6 The Governing Board.

SEC. 6. The Governing Board. – The governing board of the

University shall be the Board of Regents, hereinafter referred to as

the Board, which shall be composed of the following:

(a) The Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Chairperson;

(b) The President of the University, Vice Chairperson;

(c) The Chairperson of the Committee on Education, Arts and Culture of the Senate, member;

(d) The Chairperson of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education of the House of Representatives, member;

(e) The Regional Director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), member;

(f) The Regional Director of the Department, of Science and Technology (DOST), member;

(g) The President of the federation of faculty associations of the University, member;

(h) The President of the federation of student councils of the University, member;

(i) The President of the federation of alumni associations of the University, member; and

(j) Two (2) prominent citizens from the private sector who have

distinguished themselves in their profession or fields of specialization

of the University, members.

The Board shall appoint the two (2) prominent citizens from among a

list of at least five (5) qualified persons in the Province of

Catanduanes, as recommended by the search committee constituted by the

University President, in consultation with the Chairperson of the CHED

and the other members of the Board, based on the normal standards and

qualifications for the position.

The term of office of the President of the federation of faculty

associations, the President of the federation of student councils: and

the President of the federation of alumni associations shall be

coterminous with their respective terms of office, as set forth in their

respective constitutions and by laws.

The two (2) prominent citizens shall serve for a term of two (2) years from the date of appointment.

Section 7 Powers and Duties of the Board of Regents.

SEC. 7. Powers and Duties of the Board of Regents. – 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 promulgate and implement policies in accordance with the

declared State policies and the provisions of the Philippine

Constitution on education, agriculture, science and technology, as well

as the policies, standards and thrusts of the CHED under Republic Act

No. 7722, otherwise known as the “Higher Education Act of 1994″;

(b) To promulgate rules and regulations not contrary to law as

may be necessary to carry out the purposes and functions of the

University;

(c) To receive and appropriate all sums as may be provided for

the support of the University in the manner it may determine in its

discretion, in order to carry out the purposes and functions of the

University;

(d) To import economic, technical and cultural books and/or publications;

(e) To receive in trust legacies, gifts and donations of real

and personal properties of all kinds and to administer and dispose of

the same when necessary for the benefit of the University, and subject

to the limitations, directions and instructions of the donor, if any;

(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, after due

consultations with the involved sectors.

Such fees and charges, including government subsidies and other

income generated by the University, shall constitute special trust funds

and shall be deposited in any authorized government depository bank,

and all interests that shall accrue therefrom shall form part of the

same funds for the use of the University.

Any provision of existing laws, rules and regulations to the

contrary notwithstanding, any income generated by the University from

tuition fees and other charges, as well as from the operation of

auxiliary services and land grants, shall be retained by the University,

and may be disbursed by the Board for instruction, research, extension

or other programs/projects of the University: Provided, That all fiduciary fees shall be disbursed for the specific purposes for which these are collected.

If, for reasons beyond its control, the University shall not be

able to pursue any project for which the funds have been appropriated

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 University;

(g) To adopt and implement a socialized scheme of tuition and school fees for greater access to poor but deserving students;

(h) To authorize the construction or repair of its buildings,

machinery, equipment and other facilities, and the purchase and

acquisition of real property, including necessary supplies, materials

and equipment;

(i) To appoint, upon recommendation of the President of the

University, Vice Presidents, deans, directors, heads of campuses,

faculty members and other officials and employees of the University;

(j) To fix and adjust salaries of faculty members and

administrative officials and employees, subject to the provisions of the

Revised Compensation and Position Classification System and other

pertinent budget and compensation laws governing hours of service, and

such other duties and conditions as it may deem proper; to grant them,

at its discretion, leaves of absence under such regulations as it may

promulgate, any provision of existing law to the contrary

notwithstanding; and to remove them for cause in accordance with the

requirements of due process of law;

(k) To approve the curricula, instructional programs and rules

of discipline drawn by the Administrative and the Academic Councils

herein provided;

(l) To set policies on admission and graduation of students;

(m) To award honorary degrees upon persons in recognition of their

outstanding contribution in the fields of education, public service,

arts, science and technology, agriculture or in any field of

specialization within the academic competence of the University; and to

authorize the awarding of certificates of completion of nondegree and

nontraditional courses;

(n) To establish and absorb nonchartered tertiary institutions

within the Province of Catanduanes as branches and centers in

coordination with the CHED, and in consultation with the Department of

Budget and Management (DBM), and to offer therein programs or courses,

to promote and carry out equal access to educational opportunities as

mandated by the Constitution;

(o) To establish research and extension centers of the University where such will promote the development of the latter;

(p) To establish professorial chairs in the University and to

provide fellowships for qualified faculty members and scholarships to

deserving students;

(q) To delegate any of its powers and duties provided for

hereinabove to the President and/or other officials of the University as

it may deem appropriate, so as to expedite the administration of the

affairs of the University;

(r) To authorize an external management audit of the

University, to be financed by the CHED, subject to the rules and

regulations of the Commission on Audit (COA); and to institute reforms,

including academic and structural changes, on the basis of the audit

results and recommendations;

(s) To collaborate with other governing board s of the state

colleges and universities within the Province of Catanduanes or Region

V, under the supervision of the CHED and in consultation with the DBM,

and work towards the restructuring of the University to become more

efficient, relevant, productive and competitive;

(t) To enter into joint ventures with business and industry for

the profitable development and management of the economic assets of the

University, the proceeds from which shall be used for the development

and strengthening of the University;

(u) To develop consortia and other economic forms of linkages

with local government units (LGUs), institutions and agencies, both

public and private, local and foreign, in the furtherance of the

purposes and objectives of the University;

(v) To develop academic arrangements for institutional capability

building with appropriate institutions and agencies, public and private,

local and foreign, and to appoint experts/specialists as consultants,

part-time or visiting or exchange professors, scholars, researchers, as

the case may be;

(w) To setup the adoption of modern and innovative modes of

transmitting knowledge such as the use of information technology, the

dual learning system, open or distance education and community

laboratory for the promotion of greater access to education;

(x) To establish policy guidelines and procedures for participative decision-making and transparency within the University;

(y) To privatize, where most advantageous to the University, the

management of nonacademic services such as health, food, building or

grounds or property maintenance and such other similar activities; and

(z) To extend the term of the President of the University

beyond the age of retirement but not beyond the age of seventy (70),

whose performance has been unanimously rated by the Board as

outstanding: based on the guidelines, qualifications and/or standards

set by the Board, after unanimous recommendation by the search

committee.

Section 8 Meetings of the Board.

SEC. 8. Meetings of the Board. – The Board shall

regularly convene once every three (3) months. Whenever necessary, the

Chairperson of the Board may call, upon three (3) days’ prior written

notice, a maximum of two (2) special meetings within the same period.

A quorum of the Board shall consist of majority of all its members holding office at the time of the meeting: Provided, however, That the Chairperson of the Board or the President of the University is among those present in the meeting.

In the absence of the Chairperson of the CHED, a Commissioner of

the CHED, duly designated by him/her, shall represent him/her in the

meeting with all the rights and responsibilities of a regular member: Provided, however, That during this meeting, the President of the University as Vice Chairperson shall be the Presiding Officer: Provided, further, That this proviso notwithstanding,

the Chairperson of the CHED is hereby authorized to designate a CHED

Commissioner as the regular Chair of the Board, in which case said CHED

Commissioner shall act as the Presiding Officer.

In case the Chairpersons of the Congressional Committees on

Education shall not be able to attend the Board meeting, they may duly

designate their respective representatives to attend the said meeting,

who shall have the same rights and responsibilities as a regular member

of the Board.

The members of the Board shall not receive any salary but shall be

entitled to reimbursements for actual and necessary expenses incurred,

either in their attendance to meetings of the Board or in connection

with other official business authorized by resolution of the Board,

subject to existing laws and regulations.

Section 9 The University President.

SEC. 9. The University President. – The University shall

be headed by a President, who shall render full-time service. He/She

shall be appointed by the Board, subject to the guidelines,

qualifications and/or standards set by the Board, upon recommendation of

a duly constituted search committee. He/She shall have a term of four

(4) years and shall be eligible for reappointment for another term: Provided, That

in order to effect a smooth transition to a state university, the CHED

shall designate an Officer-in-Charge of the University, pending the

appointment of the first President of the University.

Within six (6) months before the expiration of the term of office

of the incumbent President of the University, the Board shall constitute

the Search Committee for the Presidency (SCP).

In case of vacancy in the Office of the President by reason of

death, compulsory retirement, resignation, removal for cause or

incapacity of the President to perform the functions of his/her office,

the Board shall designate an Officer-in-Charge of the University within

six (6) months from the date of vacancy, pending the appointment of a

new President.

In case of vacancy in the Office of the President as mentioned in

the immediately preceding paragraph, his/her successor or the

Officer-in-Charge shall serve only the unexpired portion of the term.

The powers and duties of the President of the University, in

addition to those specifically provided in this Act, shall be those

usually pertaining to the Office of the President of similar

universities, and those delegated by the Board.

The salary of the President of the University shall be in

accordance with the Revised Compensation and Position Classification

System and shall be comparable to that being received by the Presidents

of similar educational institutions.

The President of the University shall be assisted by a Vice

President for Academic Affairs and a Vice President for Administration,

who shall be appointed by the Board upon recommendation of the

President.

Section 10 Heads of University Campuses.

SEC. 10. Heads of University Campuses. – The Campus

Directors shall head the University campuses and they shall render

full-time service. They shall be appointed by the Board upon

recommendation of the search committee and the University President,

subject to the guidelines, qualifications and/or standards set by the

Board: Provided, That the incumbent college administrators of

the extension campuses shall serve as Campus Directors of their

respective campuses.

Section 11 The Secretary of the University.

SEC. 11. The Secretary of the University. – The Board

shall appoint a secretary, who shall serve as such for both the Board

and the University and shall keep all records and proceedings of the

Board. He/She shall serve upon each member of the Board the appropriate

notice of the Board meetings.

Section 12 The Treasurer of the University.

SEC. 12. The Treasurer of the University. – The Treasurer of the Philippines shall be the ex officio treasurer of the University.

Section 13 The Administrative Council.

SEC. 13. The Administrative Council. – There shall be an

Administrative Council consisting of the President of the University as

Chairperson, Vice Presidents, deans, directors and other officials of

equal rank as members, whose duty is to review and recommend to the

Board the policies governing the administration, management and

development planning of the University.

Section 14 The Academic Council.

SEC. 14. The Academic Council. – There shall be an

Academic Council to be composed of the President of the University, who

shall act as Chairperson, and all academic staff with the rank of at

least an assistant professor, as members.

The Academic Council shall have the power to review and recommend

the curricular offerings and rules of discipline of the University,

subject to the approval of the Board. It shall fix the requirements for

the admission of students, as well as for their graduation and

conferment of degrees, subject to review and/or approval by the Board

through the President of the University. It shall have the disciplinary

power over students of the University and shall formulate academic

policies and rules and regulations on discipline, subject, to the

approval of the Board.

Section 15 The Faculty.

SEC. 15. The Faculty. – No political beliefs, gender

preference, cultural or community affiliation or ethnic origin, and

religious opinion or affiliation shall be a matter of inquiry in the

appointment of faculty members of the University: Provided, That said appointment shall be subject to the guidelines, qualifications and/or standards set by the Board: Provided, further, That no member of the faculty shall teach for or against any particular church or religious sect.

Section 16 Scholarship Program/Admission.

SEC. 16. Scholarship Program/Admission. – The University

shall provide a scholarship program and other affirmative action

programs to assist poor but deserving students who qualify for admission

to the University.

No student shall be denied admission to the University by reason

of sex, religion, cultural or community affiliation or ethnic origin.

Section 17 Authority to Loan or Transfer Apparatus/Equipment/Supplies and Detail of Personnel.

SEC. 17. Authority to Loan or Transfer Apparatus/Equipment/Supplies and Detail of Personnel. –

The heads of the bureaus and offices of the national government are

hereby authorized to loan or transfer, upon the request of the President

of the University, such apparatus, equipment or supplies as may be

needed by the University, and to detail employees for duty therein when,

in the judgment of the head of bureau or office, such apparatus,

equipment, supplies or services of such employees can be spared without

serious detriment to public service.

The employees so detailed shall perform such duties as required of

them by the President, of the University, and the time so employed

shall be counted as part of their regular services.

Section 18 Assets, Liabilities and Personnel.

SEC 18. Assets, Liabilities and Personnel. – All assets,

real and personal, personnel and records of the Catanduanes State

Colleges, as well as liabilities or obligations, are hereby transferred

to the University. The positions, rights and security of tenure of

faculty members and personnel therein employed under existing laws prior

to the conversion into a University shall be respected.

All parcels of land belonging to the government occupied by the

Catanduanes State Colleges are hereby declared to be property of the

University, and shall be titled under that name: Provided, That

should the University cease to exist or be abolished or should such

parcels of land aforementioned be no longer needed by the University,

the same shall revert to the LGUs concerned.

Section 19 Tax Exemption on Importation and Donations.

SEC. 19. Tax Exemption on Importation and Donations. –

The importation of economic, technical and cultural books and/or

publications, which are for economic, technical, vocational, scientific,

philosophical, historical or cultural purposes made by the Catanduanes

State University upon certification by the CHED shall be exempt from

customs duties in accordance with the provisions of the Tariff and

Customs Code of the Philippines, as amended.

Donations in any form to the Catanduanes State University shall be

exempt from the donor’s tax and the same shall be considered as

allowable deduction from the gross income in the computation of the

income tax of the donor, in accordance with the provisions of the

National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.

Section 20 Appropriations.

SEC. 20. Appropriations. – The amount necessary to carry

out the provisions of this Act shall be charged against the current

year’s appropriations of the Catanduanes State Colleges, except the sums

needed to continue the operations of the existing high school.

Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the continued operation

and maintenance of the Catanduanes State University shall be included in

the annual General Appropriations Act.

Section 21 Development Plan, Management Audit, Organizational/ Administrative/ Academic Structure.

SEC. 21. Development Plan, Management Audit, Organizational/ Administrative/ Academic Structure. –

Within the period of one hundred twenty (120) days after the approval

of this Act, the University shall accomplish the following:

(a) Submit a five (5)-year development plan, including its

corresponding program budget to the CHED, for corresponding

recommendation to the DBM;

(b) Undergo a management audit in cooperation with the CHED; and

(c) Set up its organizational, administrative as well as

academic structure, including the appointment of the key officials of

the University.

Section 22 Filing of Report.

SEC. 22. Filing of Report. – On or before the fifteenth

(15 th) day of the second (2 nd) month after the opening of the regular

classes each year, the Board shall file with the Office of the President

of the Philippines through the Chairperson of the CHED, and with both

Houses of Congress a detailed report on the progress, conditions and

needs of the University.

Section 23 Suppletory Application.

SEC. 23. Suppletory Application. – The provisions of

Republic Act No. 8292, otherwise known as the “Higher Education

Modernization Act of 1997″, shall be an integral part of this Act and

shall serve as part of the Governing Charter of the University.

Section 24 Parity Clause.

SEC. 24. Parity Clause. – All other powers, functions and

privileges, responsibilities and limitations to state universities

and/or their officials under existing laws shall be deemed granted to or

imposed upon the University and/or its officials, whenever appropriate.

Section 25 Implementing Rules and Regulations.

SEC. 25. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The Board, in consultation with the CHED, shall formulate the guidelines to fully implement the provisions of this Act.

Section 26 Separability Clause.

SEC. 26. Separability Clause. – If, for any reason, any

part or provision of this Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional,

the remaining parts or provisions not affected thereby shall remain in

full force and effect.

Section 27 Repealing Clause.

SEC. 27. Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential

decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations contrary to or

inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or

modified accordingly.

Section 28 Effectivity.

SEC. 28. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,

(Sgd.) JUAN PONCE ENRILE

President of the Senate

(Sgd.) FELICIANO BELMONTE JR.

Speaker of the House

of Representatives

This Act which originated in the House of Representatives was

finally passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on March

23, 2011 and July 24, 2012, respectively.

(Sgd.) EMMA LIRIO-REYES

Secretary of the Senate

(Sgd.) MARILYN B. BARUA-YAP

Secretary General

House of Representatives

Approved: OCT 19 2012

(Sgd.) BENIGNO S. AQUINO III

President of the Philippines