Republic Act No. 5101

The Palompon School of Arts and Trades in the Municipality of Palompon, Province of Leyte, is hereby converted into an institute of technology, to be known as the Palompon Institute of Technology, which shall offer not only its present four-year secondary trade, four-year technical course and four-year course leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Industrial Education, but also the five-year course leading to the degree of Master of Arts in Industrial Education and engineering courses, particularly Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and as soon as facilities warrant, pharmaceutical, dental, commerce, medical, and agricultural courses will be offered. Evening classes in the above-mentioned courses must be offered.

The purpose of said institute of technology shall be to provide higher vocational, professional, and technical instruction and training in trade and industrial education and other vocational courses, professional courses, such as medicine, commerce, pharmacy, education, agriculture and dentistry, and to offer engineering courses to uplift the technological potential and talents of the youth in this part of the archipelago; and for special purposes, to promote research, advance studies and progressive leadership in the fields of trade, technical, industrial and technological education.

The head of this institution shall be known as the President of Palompon Institute of Technology. He shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines, upon recommendation of the Board of Trustees subject to the confirmation of the Commission on Appointments. The powers and duties of the President of the Institute, in addition to those specifically provided for in this Act, shall be those pertaining to the office of the president of a college.

The government of Palompon Institute of Technology is hereby vested in a Board of Trustees, to be composed of the Secretary of Education, who shall be ex-officio Chairman of the Board, the Chairman of the Committee on Education of the Senate, the Chairman of the Committee on Education of the House of Representatives, the Director of Public Schools, the President of the Palompon Institute of Technology and the President of the Chamber of Industries of the Philippines. In the absence or inability of the Secretary of Education, the Undersecretary of Education shall act as the ex-officio Chairman of the Board. In the absence or inability of both the Secretary and Undersecretary of Education or when these positions are vacant, the other members of the Board may elect from among themselves a temporary chairman who shall act as Chairman.

The members of the Board of Trustees shall serve without compensation but shall be entitled to reimbursement for actual and necessary expenses incurred either in attendance upon meetings of the Board or other official business authorized by resolution of the Board.

The Board of Trustees shall have the following powers and duties in addition to its general powers of Administration:

A quorum 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 Chairman of Secretary thereof.

On or before the fifteenth day of June 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 Institute.

There shall be an Institute Council, consisting of the President of the Institute, dean of instruction, registrar, college dean, department heads, professors, associate professors and of all instructors of the Institute. The Council shall have the power to prescribe the curriculum and rules of discipline, subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees. It shall fix the requirements for admission to the Institute, as well as for graduation and the receiving of a title or degree. The Council alone shall have the power to recommend students or others to be recipients of titles or 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.

The body of instructors, associate professors, professors, department heads, college deans, registrar and dean of instruction shall constitute the faculty of the Institute, with the President of the Institute as the presiding officer. In the appointment of the professors, guest professors, guest lecturers, registrars, college deans, department heads, instructors, and office personnel of the Institute, no religious test shall be applied nor shall the religious opinions or affiliation of the faculty of the Institute be made a matter of examination or inquiry: Provided, That no instructor or professor in the Institute shall inculcate sectarian tenets in any of the teachings, nor attempt either directly or indirectly, under penalty of dismissal by the Board of Trustees, to influence students or attendants at the Institute for or against any particular church or religious sect.

There shall be a Secretary of the Institute to be appointed by the Board of Trustees. He shall be at the same time the Secretary of the Board of Trustees and shall keep such records of the Institute and perform such other duties as may be designated by the Board.

The dean of instruction, registrar, college deans, associate professors, professors and other regular instructor in the Institute shall be exempt as such from any civil service examination or regulations as a requisite to appointment.

The Board of Trustees shall fix the compensation of the employees and other personnel of the Institute whose appointment will be recommended by the President of the Institute.

The President of the Institute, with the cooperation of the division superintendent and/or superintendent of school of arts and trades, may use one or more of their secondary or elementary schools as training or laboratory schools for student-teaching of the Institute.

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

In order not to interrupt the smooth functioning of the present curricula of the Palompon School of Arts and Trades, the faculty of the school as well as the other personnel, shall be absorbed by the new Institute and their salaries shall be adjusted at the discretion of the Board of Trustees within the amount available for appropriation.

The Treasurer of the Philippines shall be ex-officio Treasurer of the Institute and all accounts and expenses thereof shall be audited by the Auditor General or his duly authorized representative.

All the personnel, properties, records, and obligations of the Palompon School of Arts and Trades are hereby transferred to the Palompon Institute of Technology.

The sum of six hundred thousand pesos, in addition to the current appropriation for Palompon School of Arts and Trades, is hereby authorized to be appropriated, out of any funds in the National Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to carry out the purposes of this Act during the fiscal year nineteen hundred sixty-seven. Thereafter, such sums as may be necessary for the same purpose shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

This Act shall take effect upon its approval.