WHEREAS, in order to accelerate national development to attain the goals of the New Society and promote a well balanced socio-economic growth necessary for national survival, emphasis should be directed not only on academic education, but also in vocational and technical training of our Youth;

WHEREAS, there are presently three (3) National Schools operating independently of each other and of different disciplines in the province of La Union, and are servicing only the residents thereabout;

WHEREAS, if the aforementioned schools are integrated and converted into one institution, autonomous in operation, it can service the entire Southern Ilocos Region and would be in a better position to offer extensive and expansive professional and technical training in Arts, Sciences, Humanities, Vocational, and Technological Studies, as well as serve as an instrument towards the development of the natural and manpower resources of the Region, and like wise conduct scientific and technological studies;

WHEREAS, ours being a developing country, the exploitation and development of our national resources and the proper molding of our Youth is the concern of the Government; and

WHEREAS, in order to attain the aforestated aims, the integration and conversion of the three (3) National Schools in La Union into an autonomous State College to be known as the "Southern Ilocos Polytechnic State College," is imperative.

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:

SECTION 1. Conversion.-The Southern La Union National High School in the Municipality of Agoo, Province of La Union, is hereby converted into a State College which shall be known as the Southern Ilocos Polytechnic State College, hereinafter referred to as College, incorporating thereto the Santo Tomas College of Fisheries in the Municipality of Santo Tomas, and the La Union Agricultural School in the municipality of Rosario, all in the Province of La Union which shall offer not only their present academic and vocational secondary curricula but also Baccalaureate asnd Master Degrees in Arts, Sciences, Vocational and Technological Studies.

SEC. 2. Purposes.-The College shall primarily give technical and professional training, advanced instructiond in Literature, Philosophy, the Sciences and Arts, in addition to prviding for the promotion of scientific and technological researches.

SEC. 3. The head of the College shall be known as the President of the Southern Ilocos Polytechnic State College. He shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines upon the recommendation of the Board of Trustees. The powers and duties of the President of the College, in addition to those specifically provided for herein, shall be those usually pertaining to the office of the President of a College.

SEC. 4. The Governing Board; Its Composition.-The government of the College shall be vested in a Board of Trustees. It shall be composed of the Secretary of Education and Culture who shall be ex-officio chairman of the Board, the Director, Bureau of Higher Education, the Regional Director, Region I, Department of Education and Culture, the President of the Alumni Association, who shall be ex-officio members, and three additional members to be appointed by the President of the Philippines representing science, technology and agriculture, who shall be regular members; provided, that one of the last three (3) mentioned shall be a resident of the province of La Union. In the absence or inability of the Secretary of Education and Culture, The President of the College shall act as Chairman. In the absence  or inability of both the Secretary of the Department of Education and Culture and the President of the College to act as Chairman, the Members of the Board may elect from among themselves a temporary Chairman who shall act as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Members of the Board shall serve without compensation other than actual and necessary expenses incurred either in attendance upon meetings of the Board or other official business authorized by resolution of the Board.

No person in the employ of the College in any capacity whatsoever shall be eligible for membership in the Board of Trustees.

SEC. 5. Board of Trustees; its powers and duties.-The Board of Tustees shall exercise for the College all the powers of a corporation as provided in Section Thirteen of Act Numbered Fourteen Hundred and fifty-nine, as amended, provided, that, the government and administtration of the College and the exercise of its corporate powers are hereby exclusively vested in the Board of Trustees and in the President of the College insofar as he authorized by the Board.

In addition to its general powers, the Board shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) To receive and appropriate to the ends specified by law such sums as may be provided by law for the support of the College;

(b) To confer the usual honorary degrees upon persons in recognition of their learning, statesmanship, or eminence in literature, science, or art; Provide, that such degrees shall not be conferred in consideration of the payment of money or other valuable considerations;

(c) To appoint, upon the recommendation of the President of the College, professors, instructor, lecturers and other employees of the College; to fix their compensation, hours of service, and such other duties and conditions as it may deem 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 the due hearing and investigation.

(d) To approve the courses of study and rules of discipline drawn up by the College Council as hereiafter provided; to fix the tuition fees required of students, as well as matriculation fees, graduation fees and fees for laboratory courses, and all other fees, and to permit the same in special cases;

(e) To provide fellowships for faculty members and scholarships to students showing special evidence of merit;

(f) To provide rules for its own government, and to enact for the government of the college such general ordinance and regulations, not contrary to law, as are consistent with the purposes of the College, as provided in Section 2, hereof;

(g) Toreceive in trust,legacies, gifts, and donations of real and personal property of all kinds and to administer the same for the benefit of the College or for aid to any student in accordance with the directions and instructions of the donor, not contrary to law, and, in default thereof, in such manner as the Board of Trustees may in its discretion determine; manner as the Board of Trustees may in its discretion determine;

(h) To acquire land of the public domain for its expansion and benificial use.

SEC. 6. A qourum of the Board of Trustees shall consist of a majority of all the members. All processes against the Board of Trustees shall be served on the President of the College or Secretary of the Board.

SEC. 7. On or before the tenth day of August of each year, the Board of Trustees shall file with the President of the Philippines a detailed report, setting forth the progress, condition and needs of the College.

SEC. 8. There shall be a College Council consisting of the President of the College and of all the instructors and professors of the College. The Council shall have  the power to prescribe the curricula and rules of discipline, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees. It shall fix the requirements for admission to the College as well as for grauduation and the receiving of degrees. Through its president or committee, it shall have disciplinary power over the students within the limits prescribed by the rules of discipline approved by the Board of Trustees.

SEC. 9. The body of teachers, instructors and professors of the College shall constitute the faculty of the College, and as presiding officer of each faculty, there shall be a Dean elected from among the members  of such faculty by the Board of Trustees on nomination by the President of the College. In the appointment of professors or other instructors of the College, no religious test shall be applied, nor the religious opinion or affiliation of the faculty of the college be made a matter of examination or inquiry: Provided, however, That no teacher, instructor or professor in the College shall inculcate sectarian tenets in any of his teachings, nor attempt either directly or indirectly, under penalty of dismissal by the Board of Trustees, to influence students or attendants at the College for or against any particular church or religious sect.

SEC. 10. Professors and other regular instructors in the College shall be exempt as such from any civil service examination or regulation and from WAPCO rules and regulations as a pre-requisite to appointment and promotions.

SEC. 11. There shall be a Secretary of the Colege who shall act as Registrar to be appointed by the Board of Trustees. He shall be the Secretary of the Board, and shall keep such record of the College as may be designated by the Board.

SEC. 12. Heads of Bureaus and offices of the National Government are hereby authorized to loan or transfer, upon request of the President of the College, such apparatus, equipment or supplies as may be needed by the College, and to detail employees for duty therein, when in the judgment to the head of the bureau or office, such supplies or employees can be spared without serious detriment to the public service. Employees so detailed shall perform such duties as are rerquired under such detail, and the time employed shall count as part of their regular official hours.

SEC. 13. The present faculty and other personnel, properties, records, obligations and appropriations of the three national schools above-referred are hereby transferred to the Southern Ilocos Polytechnic State College.

Salaries of the personnel shall be adjusted at the discretion of the Board of Trustees within the amount available for appropriation.

SEC. 14. The Treasurer of the Philippines will be ex-officio Treasurer of the College and all accounts and expenses thereof shall be audited by the Commission on Audit or its duly authorized representative.

SEC. 15. The President of the Philippines and the members of the Cabinet shall constitute a Board of Visitors of the College, whose duty it shall be to attend the commencement exercises of the College, and to make visits at such other times as they may deem proper, to examine the property, course of study, discipline, the state of finances of the College, and to inspect all books of accounts of the institution.

SEC. 16. The yearly appropriations for the three (3) schools herein converted and integrated into the "Southern Ilocos Polytechnic State College" shall henceforth become the appropriation for the operation of the College and shall be included in the Annual General Appropriations Act/Decree, subject to such adjustments and/or programming as the Secretary of the Department of Education and Culture may recommend.

SEC. 17. This Decree shall take effect immediately.

Done in the City of Manila, this 28th day of July in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and seventy-seven.

	(Sgd.) FERDINAND E. MARCOS       President Republic of the Philippines
By the President:
(Sgd.) JACOBO C. CLAVE     Presidential Executive Assistant