Question & AnswerQ&A (PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 1287)
The Philippine High School for the Arts is a special high school attached to the Cultural Center of the Philippines, established to focus on subjects pertaining to the arts and to prepare its students for careers in the arts.
The School is headed by a Director who is appointed by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The Director has the powers and duties similar to those of a principal in the Philippine educational system.
The Board consists of the President of the Cultural Center of the Philippines as chairman, the Undersecretary of Education and Culture as vice-chairman, the Director of the High School, and representatives from music, dance, drama, and visual arts fields appointed by the Chairman of the Board.
The Board has powers like fixing the school's site, managing funds, approving staff appointments and contracts, setting compensation, removing employees for cause, providing scholarships, establishing admission criteria, issuing diplomas, and receiving donations for the school's benefit.
A quorum consists of the majority of all the Board members holding office at the time a meeting is called.
The Board must submit a detailed report on the progress, condition, and needs of the High School to the President of the Philippines on or before June 1 of each year.
The Executive Council includes the Director, Assistant Director, heads of departments, and other senior faculty or officials designated by the Director. It screens and selects students, awards scholarships, develops curricula, enforces discipline, and implements Board policies.
The Assistant Director assists the Director in arts education and assumes the Director's administrative and supervisory functions in the Director's absence. The Assistant Director is appointed by the Chairman of the Board with the Board's approval.
Legacies, gifts, and donations for the school's benefit are tax-exempt and deductible from donors' gross income. The High School is exempt from government taxes, fees, assessments, import duties on equipment, and withholding tax on fees paid to visiting foreign lecturers.
All incomes and donations to the High School shall form the Arts High School Fund, which the Board exclusively expends for the purposes of the Decree.
An initial appropriation of one and a half million pesos is allocated from the National Treasury for the High School's expenses. Future funding is provided through the annual General Appropriation Act.
All laws, rules, and orders inconsistent with the Decree's provisions are repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.