Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Establishment. - There is hereby established in the Municipality of Baler, Province of Aurora, a state college to be known as the Aurora State College of Technology, the same being organized as a corporation under that name.

SEC. 2. Purposes. - The State College shall primarily provide technical and professional training in the sciences, arts, teacher education, agriculture, engineering, and technology as well as short-term vocational courses. It shall likewise promote research, advanced studies and academic leadership in the stated areas of specialization.

SEC. 3. Powers of the State College. - The State College shall have the general powers set forth in Section Thirty-six (Sec. 36) of Batas Pambansa Bilang 68 (B.P. Blg. 68), as amended, and the exercise of its corporate powers shall be exercised exclusively by a board of trustees.

SEC. 4. Board of Trustees. - The governing body of the State College shall be vested in a board of trustees to be known as the Board of Trustees of the Aurora State College of Technology. It shall be composed often (10) members, consisting of:

1. the Secretary of Education, Culture and Sports as ex officio Chairman of the Board;
   
2. the President of the State College as Vice Chairman;
   
3. the Chairman or a member of the Committee on Education in the Senate;
   
4. the Chairman or a member of the Committee on Education in the House of Representatives;
   
5. the President of the Alumni Association;
   
6. the President of the Faculty Association;
7. the Chairman of the Supreme Student Council;
   
8. the President of the Employees Association as ex officio member, and
   
9. two (2) prominent citizens from the local community who have distinguished themselves in their profession or field of specialization. Such prominent citizens shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees upon recommendation of the President of the State College. Of the first two (2) appointed, the Board of Trustees shall designate one to serve for three (3) years and the other for six (6) years.
   

The members of the Board of Trustees shall be citizens and residents of the Philippines. Except for the President of the State College, the President of the Faculty Association and the President of the Employees Association, no person in the employ of the State College or of other educational institutions in any capacity whatsoever shall be eligible for membership in the Board of Trustees.

The members shall serve without compensation, but they shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in their attendance of meetings of the Board or in connection with their official business authorized by resolution of the Board.

The Board of Trustees shall hold its regular meeting every two (2) months and may hold as many special meetings as may be necessary. One-half of the members holding office at the time the meeting is called shall constitute a quorum. In the absence of the Chairman, the President of the State College shall act as Presiding Officer during Board meetings.

Sec. 5. Powers of the Board of Trustees. - The Board of Trustees shall have the following powers:

1. to receive and appropriate, to the ends specified by law, such sums as may be provided by law for the support of the State College;
   
2. to provide for the establishment of an institute of General Education Studies, a School of Agriculture and Aquatic Sciences, a School of Forestry and Environmental Science, a School of Engineering and Technology, a School of Education, a School of Business, a School of Veterinary Medicine, an Indigenous Arts and Crafts Institute, and other schools and departments as the Board of Trustees may deem necessary;
   
3. to confer degrees upon successful candidates for graduation from the State College;
   
4. to authorize the President of the State College to award certificates for completion of non-degree programs;
   
5. to prescribe for the governance of the State College such rules and regulations not contrary to law as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of the State College;
   
6. to receive in trust legacies, gifts, donations of real and personal property of all kinds, and to administer the same for the benefit of the State College or of a school, institute or department thereof, or for aid to any student or students in accordance with directions and instructions of the donor or, in default thereof, in such manner as the Board of Trustees may in its discretion determine;
   
7. to appoint the president, vice-presidents, deans, directors, the secretary of the State College, the registrar, the heads of the departments, professors, instructors, lecturers and other officials and employees of the State College; to fix their annual compensation subject to pertinent compensation laws; to prescribe their hours of service, duties and other conditions as it may deem proper; to grant them, in its discretion, leaves of absence in accordance with rules that it may promulgate; and, to remove them for cause after proper notice and hearing pursuant to Civil Service laws governing disciplinary action;
   
8. to approve the curricula and rules of discipline drawn up by the College Academic Council as hereinafter provided;
   
9. to fix the tuition fees and other necessary school charges such as, but not limited to, matriculation fees, graduation fees, and laboratory fees, as the Board may deem proper to impose. Such fees and charges, including government subsidies and other income generated by the State College, shall constitute special trust funds and shall be deposited in any authorized bank, and any and all interest that shall accrue therefrom shall form part of the same funds for the use of the State College. Any provision of existing laws to the contrary notwithstanding, incomes generated by the State College may, at the discretion of the Board of Trustees, be disbursed for the professional growth and development, health, welfare and other similar benefits of the faculty members and personnel, for the acquisition, construction, maintenance and repair of urgently needed instructional and auxiliary facilities, equipment, building and other infrastructures; and for expenses necessary for the attainment of its purposes under this Act.
   
10. to provide fellowships for qualified faculty members and scholarships, grants-in-aid and part-time job opportunities to deserving students, especially the underprivileged;
    
11. to establish chairs in the schools mentioned in paragraph (b) of this Section and to sustain their endowment, as well as to provide for other faculty awards as the programs of action may make necessary; and
    
12. to establish branches or extensions within the Province of Aurora where there are no existing educational institutions offering similar programs or courses.
    

Sec. 6.

1. (a) The President. - The administration of the State College shall be vested in the President. He shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees for a term of six (6) years: Provided, That the President of the State College may be reappointed after his term shall have expired.
   
   His salary shall be fixed by the Board of Trustees, subject to pertinent compensation laws.
   
   The powers and duties of the President, in addition to those specifically provided for in this Act, shall be those usually pertaining to the Office of the President of a state college or university.
   
   In case of permanent vacancy in the Office of the President by reason of death, resignation, removal for cause or incapacity to perform the functions and duties of the office, the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall act as President of the State College until a new president shall have been appointed and qualified.
   
   
2. (b) Vice President. — The President of the State College shall be assisted by two (2) vice-presidents; one vice-president for academic affairs and one vice-president for planning and finance, who shall be appointed by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the President of the State College.

Sec. 7. Faculty; Appointment of Deans. — The body of professors and instructors of each school shall constitute its faculty and, as head of each faculty, there shall be a dean to be appointed by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the President of the State College.

In the appointment of professors or instructors, no religious opinion or affiliation shall be made a matter of inquiry or examination: Provided, however, That no faculty member or employee in the State College shall inculcate sectarian tenets in any of his/her teaching or attempt, either directly or indirectly, under penalty of dismissal by the Board of Trustees, to influence students and employees for or against any particular church or religious sect.

Sec. 8. Secretary of the State College. - There shall be a Secretary of the State College to be appointed by the Board of Trustees upon the recommendation of the President of the State College. He shall also serve as Secretary of the Board of Trustees. It shall be his duty to keep the records of the State College and the Board, and shall be compensated according to pertinent compensation laws.

Sec. 9. College Academic Council. — There shall be a College Academic Council consisting of the President of the State College and all the members of the faculty holding the rank of professor, associate professor, and assistant professor. The Council alone shall have the power to prescribe the curriculum and rules of discipline, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees. It shall also fix the requirements for admission as well as graduation. The Council has the authority to recommend the conferment of titles to deserving individuals. Through the President of the State College or its duly authorized committee, the Council shall have disciplinary power over the students of the State College within the limits prescribed by the Rules of Discipline approved by the Board of Trustees.

Sec. 10. Admission. — No student shall be denied admission in the State College by reason of sex, ethnic consideration, religious belief or political affiliation.

Sec. 11. Campus Site. — The State College shall have an area of not less than one hundred hectares (100 has.) for its exclusive use as campus site for its academic and instructional programs, research and development activities and experimental and laboratory facilities.

The Board of Trustees shall forthwith recommend a suitable site in Baler, Aurora for this purpose. The Office of the President of the Philippines shall effect the immediate acquisition of the area by way of proclamation or by instituting expropriation proceedings, if necessary.

Sec. 12. Development Plan. — The Board of Trustees, within six (6) months following its creation, shall complete a seven-year development plan for the State College which shall serve as the basis for its policy decisions, taking into consideration the resources of the Casiguran School of Fisheries in Barangay Bianuan, Municipality of Casiguran and the Maria Aurora National Agricultural School in the Municipality of Maria Aurora, both in the Province of Aurora.

Sec. 13. Integration of Other Schools. — Within a period of three (3) years from the approval of this Act, the Board of Trustees shall adopt and implement a plan, pursuant to Section 5(b) hereof, for the integration of the Casiguran School of Fisheries and the Maria Aurora National Agricultural School into the State College.

Sec. 14. Appropriations. — The amount of Five million pesos (P5,000,000) shall be initially appropriated from the savings of the Department of Education, Culture and Sports and, thereafter, the amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its enactment into law.

SEC. 15. Effectivity Clause. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

Approved, December 30, 1993.