State Scholarships and Scholarship Council Act

Candidates must rank within the first ten of their respective graduating classes.
Candidates must attain and maintain tests, standards, or criteria ensuring they are specially gifted in the particular fields chosen.
Candidates and their parents (or other persons required by law to give support if parents are dead) must have no resources to finance higher education.
Candidates must be of good health, have excellent moral character, and possess unquestionable integrity.
Candidates must be natural-born citizens of the Philippines.
Candidates must be not more than 21 years of age at the time of their selection.

A State Scholarship Council is created to consolidate, integrate, systematize, administer, and implement all government scholarship programs and any private scholarships entrusted to it.
The Council consolidates scholarship programs whether national, provincial, or municipal.
The Council exercises authority for scholarship administration and implementation for purposes connected to the State Scholarships established under Section 1.
In addition to government scholarships and entrusted private scholarships, the Council administers, integrates, systematizes, and implements the relevant scholarship programs under its control.

The Council prescribes tests, standards, or criteria candidates must attain and maintain to be specially gifted in their chosen fields.
The Council determines the number of state scholars and the various courses of study open for state scholarships, taking into account the needs of Philippine society for men of knowledge and competence in different fields.
The Council selects qualified colleges and universities to enroll state scholars, considering standards, faculties, libraries, equipment, and facilities.
The Council screens and approves candidates for state scholarships in accordance with Sections 1 and 2.
The Council approves or fixes the different expenses allowed to individual state scholars and authorizes payment from funds appropriated by law or contributed from other sources.

For other government scholarships and for private scholarships entrusted to the Council, the Council performs the duties stated above insofar as applicable, and performs the powers and duties required by laws, orders, resolutions, ordinances, and other instruments that establish those scholarships.

The Council seeks assistance for scholarship support from foundations, foreign governments and agencies, international entities and bodies, and other sources.
The Council assists in the placement and employment of all graduates trained under scholarship programs it administers.
Subject to the civil service law, rules and regulations, the Council may employ officers and employees it deems necessary, and it fixes their compensation and other benefits and prescribes their powers and duties.
The Council may do acts, adopt measures, enter into arrangements, and issue rules and regulations needed for consolidation, integration, systematization, administration, and implementation of scholarship programs and for the effective carrying out of the Act, including allocation and payment of scholarship funds.

The Council is composed of:
- the Secretary of Education
- the President of the University of the Philippines
- the Chairman of the Committee on Education of the Senate
- the Chairman of the Committee on Education of the House of Representatives
- the Chairman of the National Science Development Board
- the Director of Public Schools
- the Director of Private School
- two other members representing non-governmental educational professional groups appointed by the President of the Philippines with the consent of the Commission on Appointments.
The Secretary of Education serves as Chairman of the Council.
The Council holds regular meetings once a month and special meetings upon call of its Chairman or at the request of any three members.
A majority of all members constitutes quorum to do business.
Public officials on the Council receive no additional compensation.
Private citizen members receive PHP 25 pesos for each meeting actually attended.
No compensation is paid for more than two meetings a month.

The Council has an Executive Secretary under the Council’s supervision and control.
The Executive Secretary is immediately responsible to the Council for carrying out the Act and the Council’s policies, decisions, resolutions, rules, and regulations.
The Executive Secretary is appointed by the President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Council, with the consent of the Commission on Appointments.
The Executive Secretary receives yearly compensation of not exceeding ten thousand pesos, plus other benefits the Council may fix.

All existing scholarship programs under the jurisdiction and control of different government entities, offices, and agencies are referred to the State Scholarship Council.
All powers and duties of those government entities, offices, and agencies relating to such scholarships are vested in and imposed on the State Scholarship Council.
This includes transfer of responsibilities connected with appropriation, personnel, equipment, and other effects used for the scholarship programs.

An annual appropriation is established beginning with the fiscal year nineteen hundred and four.
Out of funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, PHP 2,000,000 is appropriated for carrying out the Act.
Additional sums necessary are included in the annual General Appropriation Acts.

All laws, orders, resolutions, ordinances, rules, and regulations inconsistent with the Act are repealed.
The Act takes effect upon approval.