Preamble
WHEREAS, the Philippines is committed to the growth and development of its educational system; WHEREAS, the West Visayas State College established under RA 4189, as amended, started as the Iloilo Normal School in 1924 has, since then, or for a period of 62 years, dedicated itself to the achievement of the educational goals of an institution of higher learning in the Philippines: instruction, research and extension; WHEREAS, West Visayas State College has been offering university level courses such as nursing, medicine, agriculture, forestry, liberal arts, education, graduate and post graduate courses in education and, from the time of its founding, has always been the center of academic excellence in the Western Visayas region; WHEREAS, the Iloilo National College of Agriculture is a premier agricultural school in the Western Visayas with adequate resources for agricultural expansion and research; WHEREAS, the establishment of a regional state university in Western Visayas will be in response to the current thrust of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports of establishing regional state universities in order to provide linkages with other agencies and institutions of learning for the purpose of achieving national and developmental goals; WHEREAS, the conversion of WVSC into the West Visayas State University will fill the pressing need of Region VI for a university that will provide quality education at reasonable costs; WHEREAS, the West Visayas State University will also decongest the already over-crowded Metro Manila universities and minimize drop-outs as well; WHEREAS, in line with existing- development plans the West Visayas State University will hasten the socio-economic development of the region. NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers in me vested by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree to be part of the laws of the land: