Tawi-tawi State College

- CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES TWENTIETH CONGRESS First Regular Session HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES H. No. 8496 BY REPRESENTATIVES SALI, ACIDRE, CALDERON, TINIO, SAN FERNANDO, ORETA, FRESNEDI, UY (D.C.), DIOKNO, SALVADOR, DIMAGUILA, GATCHALIAN, LAGBAS, KHO (W.), LOPEZ, YAP (C.), BONDOC, BAUTISTA (J.M.), ROMULO, YATCO, COLLANTES, LARA, ESPARES, CHUA-TAI, CARI, YNARES, CRUZADO AND ALANO AN ACT RENAMING THE TAWI-TAWI REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AS THE TAWI-TAWI STATE COLLEGE, EXPANDING ITS CURRICULAR OFFERINGS, AND STRENGTHENING ITS GOVERNING BOARD Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Renaming. - The Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College

(TRAC) in the Municipality of Bongao, Province of Tawi-Tawi, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), is renamed as ; the "Tawi-Tawi State College".

SEC. 2. General Mandate. - The Tawi-Tawi State College (TTSC) shall

primarily provide advanced instruction and professional training in agriculture, education, technology, business, arts and sciences, and other relevant fields of study. It shall also promote advanced research, extension services, and provide progressive leadership in its areas of specialization.

SEC. 3. Curricular Offerings. - The TTSC shall offer undergraduate and

graduate courses in the fields of agriculture, education, criminal justice, sciences, business information and communications technology, management, science and mathematics, technology, hial no allied health, engineering and as the Board of technology, nontraditional programs, and other courses, Trustees, may deem necessary to carry out its objectives, and those which respond to the human resource development needs of the Province of Tawi-Tawi and the BARMM.

SEC. 4. Administration. - The TTSC shall have the general powers of a

corporation set forth in Republic Act (RA) No. 11232, otherwise known as the "Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines". The administration of the TTSC and the exercise of its corporate powers shall be vested exclusively in the Board of Trustees and the President of the TTSC.

SEC. 5. The Board of Trustees. - The governing body of the TTSC shall

be the Board of Trustees, hereinafter referred to as the Board. The Chairperson of the Board shall be the Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Vice Chairperson shall be the President of the TTSC. The following shall be the members: (a) Chairperson of the Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education of the Senate; (b) Chairperson of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education of the House of Representatives; (c) Chairperson of the Committee on Basic, Higher, and Technical Education of the Bangsamoro Parliament; (d) Regional Director of the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev); (e) Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture; President of the federation of faculty associations of the TTSC; (9) President of the federation of student councils of the TTSC; (h) President of the federation of alumni associations of the TTSC; (i) Representative of the nonteaching or personnel association of the TTSC; and • Two (2) prominent citizens from the private sector who have distinguished themselves in their professions or fields of specialization. The Board shall appoint two (2) prominent citizens who shall be selected from a list of at least five (5) qualified persons from the Province of Tawi-Tawi, as recommended by a Search Committee constituted by the President of the TTSC, in consultation with the Chairperson of the CHED and other members of the Board, based on the guidelines, qualifications and standards for the position set by the Board. They shall serve for a term of two (2) years from the date of appointment. The terms of office of the Presidents of the federation of faculty associations, federation of student councils, federation of alumni associations, and the Representative of the nonteaching personnel shall be coterminous with their terms of office, as provided under their respective constitutions and bylaws. In case of vacancy among appointive positions in the Board, the vacancy shall be filled by the Board following the guidelines set by it, and the appointee shall hold office only for the unexpired portion of the term.

SEC. 6. Powers and Duties of the Board. - In addition to its general

powers of administration and the powers granted to the board of directors of a corporation under Section 35 of RA 11232, and other existing laws, the Board shall have the following specific powers and duties:

(a) Promulgate and implement policies in accordance with the declared State policies on education, other pertinent provisions of the Constitution on education, agriculture, science and technology, and the policies, standards and thrusts of the CHED under RA 7722, otherwise known as the "Higher Education Act of 1994"; (b) Approve the curricula, instructional programs, and rules on student discipline drawn by the Administrative and Academic Councils, as herein provided; (c) Appoint, upon the recommendation of the President of the TTSC, the vice presidents, chancellors, deans, directors, heads of the campuses, faculty members, and other officials and employees of the TTSC; (d) Fix and adjust the salaries of faculty members and administrative officials and employees, subject to the provisions of RA 11466, or the "Salary Standardization Law of 2019", and such other laws amendatory thereto, rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission (CS) governing hours of service and such other requirements and conditions, other pertinent laws, rules and regulations; 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 remove them for cause in accordance with the requirements of the rules and regulations of the CSC and due process of law; (e) Fix the tuition fees and other necessary school charges, such as matriculation fees, graduation fees, and laboratory fees, as the Board may deem proper to impose, after due consultation with the concerned sectors. The fees and charges, including government subsidies and other income generated by the TTSC, shall constitute its funds to be used exclusively in the pursuit of its mandate as a state college, and shall be deposited in any authorized government depository bank. All interests that shall accrue therefrom shall form part of the same funds for the use of the TTSC; The fees and charges collected by the TTSC, including government subsidies and proceeds from other income sources, as well as interests that would accrue therefrom, shall be retained by the TTSC: Provided, That in no case shall the said income be used for the payment of allowances and other benefits not authorized by law: Provided, further, That all fiduciary fees shall be disbursed for the specific purpose for which they were collected; If the TTSC, for reasons beyond its control, would not be able to pursue any project for which funds have been appropriated and allocated under its approved program of expenditures, the Board may authorize the use of said fund for any reasonable purpose for which it deems necessary and urgent for the attainment of the objectives of the TTSC: Provided, That funds collected from students for specific purposes shall not be realigned or reprogrammed to other expenditures; (f) Adopt and implement a socialized scheme of tuition and other school fees for greater access of poor but deserving students in accordance with RA 10931, otherwise known as the "Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act"; (g) Establish professorial chairs in the TTSC and provide fellowships for qualified faculty, and scholarships to deserving students;

• (h) Receive and appropriate sums as may be provided for by law for the support of the TTSC, and all other sums in the manner it may, in its discretion, determine to carry out the purposes and functions of the TTSC; (i) Set the policies on admission and graduation of students; U) Award honorary degrees upon persons in recognition of their outstanding contributions in the fields of education, public service, arts, technology, sports and human kinetics or any field of specialization within the academic competency of the TTSC, and authorize the awarding of certificates of completion of nondegree and nontraditional courses; (k) Develop academic arrangements for institutional capability building with appropriate institutions and agencies, whether public, private, local or foreign, and appoint experts or specialists as consultants, part-time, visiting or exchange professors, scholars or researchers, as the case may be; (1) Adopt modern and innovative modes of transferring knowledge to allow greater access to education such as the use of information technology, online programs, the dual training system, open distance learning, and community laboratory; (m) Absorb non-chartered tertiary education institutions within the Province of Tawi-Tawi and the BARMM as branches, extension campuses, and external centers, in coordination with the CHED and in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management, and offer therein programs or courses to carry out the constitutional mandate of providing equal access to educational opportunities; (n) Authorize an external management audit of the TTSC, to be financed by the CHED, subject to the rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit, and institute reforms, including academic and structural changes, on the basis of the audit results and recommendations; (o) Develop consortia and other economic forms of linkages with local government units, as well as public, private, local or foreign institutions and agencies for the furtherance of the purposes and objectives of the TTSC; or cultural purposes; (q) Enter into joint ventures with business industry, after consultation with the DEPDev for the profitable growth and management of economic assets, the proceeds of which shall be used for the development and strengthening of the (r) Receive, in trust, all legacies, gifts, and donations of real and personal properties of all kinds and administer and dispose of the same, when necessary, for the benefit of the TTSC and subject to the limitations, directions, and instructions of the donor, if any; (s) Delegate any of its powers and duties to the President and other officials of the TTSC, as it may deem appropriate, so as to expedite the administration of the affairs of the TTSC;

(t) Establish policy guidelines and procedures for participative and transparent decision-making within the TTSC; (u) Where most advantageous to the TTSC, outsource the management of nonacademic services such as health, food, buildings or grounds or property maintenance, and such other similar activities; (v) Authorize the construction or repair of its buildings, machinery, equipment and other facilities, and the purchase and acquisition of real property, including the necessary supplies, materials, and equipment; and (w) Promulgate rules and regulations, as may be necessary, to carry out the purposes and functions of the TTSC.

SEC. 7. Meetings of the Board. - The Board shall regularly convene once

every three (3) months. The Chairperson of the Board may, however, call a in special meeting whenever necessary: Provided, That members are notified writing at least three (3) days prior to the conduct of said meeting. A quorum of the Board shall consist of a 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 TTSC is among those present in the meeting. In case the Chairperson of the CHED cannot attend a meeting of the Board, a CHED Commissioner duly designated by Chairperson of the CHED as representative to the meeting, shall have all the rights and responsibilities of a regular member: Provided, That during the meeting, the President of the TTSC, as Vice Chairperson, shall be the presiding officer: Provided, further, That this provision notwithstanding, the Chairperson of the CHED may designate a CHED Commissioner as the regular Chairperson of the Board, in which case, the said CHED Commissioner shall act as the presiding officer. In case the Chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education and the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education cannot attend the Board meeting, they may designate their respective representatives who shall have the same rights and responsibilities as regular members of the Board. The members of the Board shall serve without compensation other than reimbursements for actual and necessary expenses incurred, either for their attendance to the meetings of the Board or in connection with other official business authorized by resolutions of the Board, subject to existing laws and regulations.

SEC. 8. Assets, Liabilities, Records, and Personnel. - All assets, both

real and personal, personnel, and records of the TRAC, as well as its liabilities or obligations, shall be transferred to the TTSC. All parcels of land belonging to the government occupied by the TRAC are declared as property of the TTSC and shall be titled under its name: Provided, That should the TTSC cease to exist or be abolished or should such aforementioned parcels of land be no longer needed by the TTSC, the same shall revert to the concerned local government unit or to the Republic of the Philippines, as the case may be. S

SEC. 9. Suppletory Application. - The provisions of RA 8292, otherwise

known as the "Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997", shall form part of this Act.

SEC. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within sixty (60) days

of the effectivity of this Act, the Board shall, in consultation with the CHED, issue rules and regulations to implement its provisions. of this Act is declared invalid or unconstional, the remaining past or provisions not affected shail remain in full force and effect. Pambansa

SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. - Batas

entitled "An Act Converting the Sulu National Regional Agricultural School in the Municipality of Bongao, Province of Tawi-Tawi, into a College to be Known as the Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College, and Authorizing the Appropriation of Funds Therefor", and all laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are repealed or modified accordingly.

SEC. 13. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after

its complete publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,