WHEREAS, the Educational Project Implementing Task Force, Department of Education, has recommended that the Visayas State College of Agriculture be developed and given the necessary facilities and powers to serve the whole Visayas region; and

WHEREAS, there is a need to amend the said Presidential Decree to expand and strengthen the curricular programs in agriculture and applied sciences and make sure that the College shall have major thrusts in Rural Sociology and Development Communication, Agricultural Business Management and Cooperatives Education, Barrio Industries Training, Research and Development, Training and Research Programs in Coconut, Abaca and Rootcrops, and Technician Training in Forestry and in Animal Health and Production in line with the administration's educational development programs;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, FERDINAND E. MARCOS, President of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order and decree the amendment of Presidential Decree No. 470, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 8 of Presidential Decree No. 470 is hereby amended to read as follows:

"SECTION 8. The College shall have the general powers set forth in Section 13 of Act 1459 the exercise of which are hereby vested exclusively in the Board of Trustees and the President of the College in so far as authorized by the Board. In addition to its general powers of administration, the Board of Trustees shall have the following powers and duties:

"x x x x x x

(c) To appoint, upon recommendation of the President of the College, Vice Presidents and deans, heads of departments, professors, instructors, lecturers and other officers and employees of the College; to fix their compensation; to prescribe their hours of service, duties and the conditions of work as it may deem necessary and proper; to grant to them in its discretion, leave of absence under such regulations as it may promulgate, any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, and to remove them for cause after due investigation and hearing."

"x x x x x x

SEC. 2. Section 8 of the same Decree is hereby further amended by adding another paragraph after letter (j) to read as follows:

(k) To undertake construction and/or repair of its buildings, machineries, equipment and other facilities, and print technical and educational materials in any printing establishment, any provision of law or regulations to the contrary notwithstanding.

SEC. 3. In addition to the amount already appropriated for the Visayas State College of Agriculture for the Fiscal year 1974-75, there is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated the following operating expenses for purposes of implementing new programs and carrying out immediately the provisions of this Decree:

	Rural Sociology & Dev. Comm.		P0.5 million
	Agribusiness & Coop. Educ.		0.5 million
	Agro-based Barrio Industries Training, Research & Dev		1.5 million
	Training & Research Programs in Coconut, Abaca & rootcrops		1.8 million
	Technician training in animal health & production		0.6 million
	Agricultural Engineering technician training in Forestry		0.5 million
			__________
		TOTAL	P6.0 million
			=========

Hereafter, such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Decree shall be included annually in the General Appropriations Decree.

SEC. 4. For the construction of buildings and laboratories, acquisition of additional experimental land, and for the purchase of equipment and library materials for agricultural science and technology, rural sociology and development communications, agricultural business management and cooperatives education, cottage industries training, research and development, training and research programs in coconut, abaca and rootcrops, technician training in forestry, animal health and production, and food processing and marketing, the sum of six million peso per year for the next two years is hereby appropriated out of savings of funds appropriated for constructions under Presidential Decree No. 475 or any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

SEC. 5. The Visayas State College, its assets, acquisitions, income and its operations and transactions, shall be exempt from any and all taxes imposed by the government or any of its political subdivision or taxing authority thereof.

All gifts, donations and financial contributions to the college shall be exempt from all taxes and shall constitute allowable deductions in full from the income of donors or givers for income tax purposes.

SEC. 6. The College is hereby authorized to operate semi-commercial agricultural and technological enterprises on a revolving fund basis with separate management and accounting to provide realistic conditions for its instructional programs, provided that the income will be used to support academic and research projects.

SEC. 7. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 12th day of May, in the year of Our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-five.