Conversion of ISPSC to University of Ilocos Philippines

Conversion, integration, and university name

Section 1 converts the Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College (ISPSC) into a state university, integrating it with the North Luzon Philippine State College (NLPSC).
The resulting institution is known as the University of Ilocos Philippines (UIP).
The main campus of the UIP is located in the City of Candon, Province of Ilocos Sur.
The ISPSC’s covered campuses include those in the Municipality of Narvacan, Municipality of Tagudin, Municipality of Santiago, Municipality of Cervantes, and the City of Candon, all in Ilocos Sur, plus any other campuses that will be created prior to the effectivity of the Act.
Upon effectivity of the Act, the NLPSC is immediately integrated into the existing ISPSC as a regular campus known as “ISPSC a Main Campus,” notwithstanding compliance with CHED requirements for university status under Section 21.

Mandate and academic scope

The UIP must primarily provide advance education, higher professional and technological instruction, and technical and vocational education and training across fields including humanities, engineering, science and technology, agriculture, business and entrepreneurship, and other relevant fields of study.
The UIP must undertake research and extension services and production activities in support of the socioeconomic development of the Province of Ilocos Sur and Region I.
The UIP must offer short-term technical-vocational, undergraduate, graduate courses, and post-graduate programs within its competence and specialization.
The UIP’s offering areas include agriculture, education, business administration, culture and arts, technology, engineering, architecture, health sciences, criminal justice education, and other degree courses as the Board of Regents may deem necessary.
Existing reasonably-sized laboratory junior high school continues to operate under the supervision of the College of Education for in-campus student requirements.
Existing and future technical-vocational courses or programs under TESDA supervision continue to be offered in the UIP.

Governance structure and Board composition

The UIP exercises the general powers of a corporation under Republic Act No. 11232 (Revised Corporation Code of the Philippines) through the Board and the President.
The Board of Regents is the UIP’s governing body and is chaired and co-chaired by the Chairperson of CHED and the President of the UIP, respectively.
The Board has the following 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) Regional Director of the National Economic and Development Authority
- (d) Regional Director of the Department of Science and Technology
- (e) Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture
- (f) Regional Director of TESDA
- (g) President of the federation of faculty associations of the UIP
- (h) President of the federation of student councils of the UIP
- (i) President of the federation of alumni associations of the UIP
- (j) Two (2) prominent citizens from the private sector
The Board appoints two (2) prominent citizens selected from at least five (5) qualified persons from Ilocos Sur, based on standards set by the Board, from a list recommended by a search committee constituted by the President of the UIP in consultation with the Chairperson of CHED and other Board members.
The two prominent citizens serve for a term of two (2) years from the date of appointment.
Faculty, student council, and alumni federation presidents on the Board are coterminous with their terms under their constitutions and by-laws.

Board Regents powers, finances, and personnel

The Board must promulgate and implement policies consistent with declared state policies on education and relevant constitutional provisions, including policies, standards, and thrusts of CHED under Republic Act No. 7722 (Higher Education Act of 1994).
The Board must approve curricula, instructional programs, and student discipline rules drawn by the UIP’s Administrative and Academic Councils.
The Board appoints, upon the recommendation of the President, the vice presidents, deans, directors, heads of campuses, faculty members, and other UIP officials and employees.
The Board fixes and adjusts salaries of faculty and administrative personnel subject to the Revised Compensation and Position Classification System and other budget and compensation laws on hours of service, duties, and conditions it deems proper.
The Board may grant leaves of absence under regulations it promulgates, notwithstanding contrary provisions of existing law.
The Board may remove personnel for cause in accordance with due process of law.
The Board fixes and adjusts tuition fees and other necessary school charges including matriculation fees, graduation fees, and laboratory fees, after due consultation with concerned sectors.
Fees and charges, including government subsidies and other UIP income, constitute the UIP’s special trust funds deposited in any authorized government depository bank.
Interest earned from these funds forms part of the same funds for UIP use.
Income from tuition and other charges, and from operations of auxiliary services and land grants, is retained by the UIP and may be disbursed for instruction, research, extension services, or other UIP programs and projects.
Fiduciary fees must be disbursed for the specific purposes for which they are collected.
If the UIP cannot pursue an appropriated and allocated project for reasons beyond its control, the Board may authorize use of the funds for any reasonable purpose necessary and urgent to attain UIP objectives and goals.
The Board must adopt a socialized scheme of tuition and other school fees to improve access for poor but deserving students in accordance with Republic Act No. 10931 (Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act).
The Board must establish professional chairs, provide fellowships for qualified faculty, and provide scholarships for deserving students.
The Board receives support sums provided by law and all other sums it may determine to carry out UIP purposes and functions.
The Board sets policies on admission and graduation of students.
The Board awards honorary degrees recognizing outstanding contribution in fields including education, public service, arts, science and technology, agriculture, or other specializations within UIP academic competency.
The Board may authorize awarding certificates of completion for nondegree and nontraditional courses.
The Board establishes research and extension centers, develops academic arrangements for capability building, and may appoint consultants or experts as part-time/visiting/exchange professors, scholars, or researchers.
The Board adopts modern knowledge-transmission modes promoting greater access, including information technology, dual training, open distance learning, and community laboratory.
The Board may collaborate with other state universities and colleges within Ilocos Sur and Region I under CHED supervision and in consultation with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to restructure UIP for efficiency, relevance, productivity, and competitiveness.
The Board may absorb non-chartered tertiary institutions in Ilocos Sur and Region I as branches, extension, or external centers in coordination with CHED and in consultation with DBM, and offer programs/courses to fulfill the constitutional mandate of equal educational access.
The Board authorizes an external management audit financed by CHED, subject to Commission on Audit rules, and institutes reforms based on audit results and recommendations.
The Board develops consortia and other economic linkages with LGUs and public/private institutions and agencies for UIP purposes.
The Board may import economic, technical, and cultural books and publications.
The Board may enter joint ventures with business and industry for profitable development and management of economic assets, with proceeds used for UIP development and strengthening.
The Board may receive in trust legacies, gifts, and donations of real and personal property and administer/dispose of the same for UIP benefit subject to donor limitations and directions.
The Board may extend the President’s term beyond retirement age but not beyond seventy (70), based on Board guidelines and on:
- a Board rating of the President as outstanding, and
- a unanimous recommendation decided by the search committee.
The Board may delegate powers and duties to the President and other officials to expedite UIP administration.
The Board may establish participative and transparent decision-making guidelines and procedures.
The Board may privatize management of nonacademic services such as health, food, and building/grounds/property maintenance and similar activities where advantageous to UIP.
The Board authorizes construction or repair of buildings, machinery, equipment, facilities, purchase/acquisition of real property, and purchase of necessary supplies, materials, and equipment.
The Board promulgates rules and regulations necessary to carry out UIP purposes and functions.

Board meetings, President selection, and campus leadership

The Board must convene regularly once every three (3) months.
The Chairperson may call special meetings whenever necessary, provided members are notified in writing at least three (3) days before the meeting.
Quorum consists of the majority of all Board members holding office at the time of the meeting, provided the Chairperson of the Board or the President of the UIP is present.
If the Chairperson of CHED cannot attend, a CHED Commissioner duly assigned by the Chairperson of CHED as representative attends with all rights and responsibilities of a regular member.
During meetings, the President of the UIP acts as Vice Chairperson and presiding officer.
The CHED Chairperson may designate a CHED Commissioner as regular Chairperson of the Board, and that Commissioner becomes the presiding officer.
If the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education or the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education cannot attend, they may designate representatives with the same rights and responsibilities as regular members.
Board members do not receive salary but are entitled to reimbursements for actual and necessary expenses for attendance or other authorized official business, subject to existing laws and regulations.
The UIP is headed by a President appointed by the Board subject to Board guidelines and standards based on a search committee recommendation.
The President renders full-time service and has a term of four (4) years, renewable for another term.
The incumbent ISPSC President, if qualified, serves as the first President of the UIP to ensure smooth transition.
The Board constitutes the search committee within six (6) months before the expiration of the incumbent UIP President’s term.
The President has powers and duties usually pertaining to the Office of President of similar universities and those delegated by the Board.
The President’s salary is governed by Republic Act No. 11466 (Salary Standardization Law of 2019) and amendatory laws, and must be comparable to presidents of similar educational institutions.
The Board designates an Officer-in-Charge when the President’s office becomes vacant due to death, compulsory retirement, resignation, removal for cause, or incapacity, and the Officer-in-Charge serves only for the unexpired portion of the term.
The President is assisted by Vice Presidents for:
- Academic Affairs,
- Administration,
- Research and Development, Extension, Services and Training,
  each appointed by the Board upon the President’s recommendation.
Campus Directors serve as heads/administrators of UIP campuses on full-time basis, are appointed or designated by the Board upon recommendation of the search committee and President, and continue to serve if they are incumbent at ISPSC upon Act effectivity.

Councils, academic freedom, faculty rules

The Administrative Council consists of the President (as chairperson), the Vice Presidents, Deans, Directors, and other officials of equal rank; it reviews and recommends policies governing administration, management, and development planning.
The Academic Council formulates academic policies and consists of the President (chairperson) and all academic staff with the rank of at least an assistant professor.
The Academic Council reviews and recommends curricular offerings and student discipline rules subject to Board approval.
The Academic Council fixes admission requirements, graduation requirements, and degree conferment requirements subject to Board review through the President.
The Academic Council exercises disciplinary power over students and formulates academic policies and discipline rules subject to Board approval.
No political belief, gender preference, cultural or community affiliation, ethnic origin, or religious opinion or affiliation may be a matter of inquiry in the appointment of UIP faculty, subject to Board guidelines, qualifications, and standards.
Faculty members may not teach for or against any particular church or religious sect.
The UIP enjoys academic freedom and institutional autonomy pursuant to paragraph 2, Section 5 of Article XIV of the Constitution.

Scholarships, admission protections, and governmental support

The UIP must provide a scholarship program and other affirmative action programs to assist poor but deserving students who qualify for admission.
No student may be denied admission due to gender, religion, cultural or community affiliation, or ethnic origin.
Heads of national government bureaus and offices may loan or transfer to UIP—upon the UIP President’s request—apparatus, equipment, supplies, and may detail employees for duty when they can be spared without serious detriment to public service.
Detailed employees perform duties required by the UIP President, and the time employed counts as part of their regular service.

Assets, liabilities, land, and human resources transfer

All assets, real and personal, personnel and records of the ISPSC and NLPSC transfer to the UIP, including liabilities and obligations.
Faculty and personnel positions and rights/security of tenure under existing laws prior to conversion are respected.
Incumbents retain the same status until the Board provides otherwise.
The UIP upgrades or increases its human resources component as deemed appropriate by the Board.
Government parcels of land occupied by the ISPSC and NLPSC and all campuses become UIP property and must be titled under the UIP’s name.
If UIP ceases to exist or is abolished, or if the land is no longer needed by UIP, the parcels revert to the concerned LGU or the Republic of the Philippines, as applicable.

Tax incentives and named research centers

The UIP’s importation of economic, technical, and cultural books or publications for economic, technical, vocational, scientific, philosophical, historical or cultural purposes is exempt from customs duties upon CHED certification in accordance with Republic Act No. 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA)).
Grants, bequests, endowments, donations, and contributions made to and used actually, directly, and exclusively for educational purposes by the UIP are exempt from donor’s tax and allowed as allowable deductions from gross income of the donor for computing taxable income under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.
The following research facilities are established:
- Fisheries and Aquamarine Resources Research Center (knowledge/technologies for responsible use and protection of aquamarine resources),
- Forest Advancement and Resources Management Research Center (protection/preservation and creation of research-based policies for preserving local flora and forest resources),
- UIP Center for Rural Health Research, Reform and Policy (knowledge, policies, innovation, and technologies for health benefits for local, national, and global communities),
- Animal Research Center (knowledge and technologies for effective generation and management of veterinary resources),
- Tobacco and Agricultural Research Center (knowledge and adoption of technologies enhancing tobacco industry and agriculture for benefit of tobacco growers and farmers),
- Indigenous People Education Research Center (preservation/protection of indigenous peoples and communities through studies and activities),
- Public Administration and Governance Policy Research Center (knowledge and policy creation to improve the public service sector).
The UIP creates consortia whenever necessary to broaden research-center scope and ensure bigger community beneficiaries.

CHED university-status compliance and transition

The conversion’s effectivity into a state university becomes effective only upon CHED determination and declaration—based on a panel of experts recommendation—that the ISPSC has complied with CHED requirements for university status based on CHED Memorandum Order No. 46, series of 2012.
The panel may issue recommendation when the ISPSC has substantially complied with requirements for university status.
The UIP must comply with operational requirements for a university established by CHED, including:
- full-time, permanent faculty with relevant degrees who participated in research and development evidenced by refereed publications and scholarly outputs,
- offering a comprehensive range of degree programs from basic post-secondary to doctoral programs,
- viable research programs producing new knowledge evidenced by refereed publications, citations, inventions, and patents,
- comprehensive learning resources and support structures (libraries, practicum laboratories, relevant educational resources, and linkages with disciplinal/professional sectors),
- maintenance of linkages and affiliation with other research institutions worldwide to ensure research aligns with current global standards.
The ISPSC retains its status as a state college until it complies with the requirements for university status under Section 21.

Development plan, management audit, and annual reports

Within one hundred twenty (120) days after approval, the UIP must:
- submit a five (5)-year development plan including program and budget to CHED for recommendation to DBM,
- set up organizational, administrative, and academic structure including appointment of key officials,
- undergo a management audit in coordination with CHED.
The Board must file an annual detailed report on UIP progress, conditions, and needs on or before the fifteenth (15th) day of the second (2nd) month after opening of regular classes.
The report is filed with the Office of the President of the Philippines through the Chairperson of CHED and with both Houses of Congress.

Implementing rules, parity, and charter integration

Republic Act No. 8292 (Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997) is an integral part of the Act and serves as part of UIP’s governing charter.
All powers, functions, privileges, responsibilities, and limitations granted to or imposed on state universities and their officials under existing laws apply to the UIP and its officials whenever appropriate.
The Board, in consultation with CHED, must formulate implementing rules and regulations within sixty (60) days from Act effectivity.

Appropriations and continued funding

The amount necessary to carry out the Act is charged against the current year’s appropriations of the ISPSC and NLPSC.
After that, sums necessary for continued operation and maintenance of the UIP are included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

Separability, repeals, and effectivity clause

If any part or provision of the Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts and provisions remain in full force and effect.
All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, rules, and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the Act are repealed or modified accordingly.