Senate OK's UP as National University

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Senate OK's UP charter change as National U

By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/june/06/yehey/top_stories/20070606top6.html The Senate ratified Tuesday the bicameral conference committee report amending the University of the Philippines charter by strengthening UP as The National University. The new UP charter is the very first measure approved by the Senate as it holds its last two session days before adjourning sine die today, June 6. Senate Majority Leader Fran­cis Pangilinan, head of the Senate panel, said the new UP charter makes the UP board of regents more autonomous, exempts the UP faculty from the salary standardization law and states categorically the tax-exempt status of all revenues and assets, donations and importation related to its educational function. All academic awards will also be tax-exempt. "There are many state universities at the moment. With this new charter, UP will be The National University," he said. Pangilinan said that exempting the faculty from the salary standardization law would enable UP to maintain high-quality professors. He noted that the comparatively low pay of professors has made them seek higher paying positions elsewhere. "Professors at the Ateneo are receiving two times the salary of equivalent UP professors; those from La Salle are receiving three times," he said. He cited the greater autonomy of the UP board of regents as a key feature of the new UP charter. "It limits the appointing power of the Philippine president. The student regent will now be selected by the students themselves, and the faculty regent, by the faculty members," he explained. Public schools are tax exempt but the legislators decided to make that of UP categorical through its charter. "Public schools are not supposed to pay taxes, but the government bureaucracy has different interpretations on tax exemptions," he said. The new UP charter states that importation of economic, technical, vocational, scientific, philosophical, historical and cultural books, supplies and materials duly certified by the board of regents, including scientific and education computer and software equipment, shall be exempt from customs duties. There had been several attempts in previous Congresses to amend the UP Charter but not succeeded, until now. The ratification of the bicameral conference committee report came on the very day that the bicameral body resolved disagreeing provisions of the House and Senate versions. The House panel was headed by Rep. Cynthia Villar of Las Piñas. The members are Sen. Franklin Drilon, Sen. Ralph Recto, Sen. Edgardo Angara, Sen. Sergio Osmeña 3rd, Rep. Harlin Abayon of Northern Samar, Party-list Rep. Eulogio Mag­saysay, Rep. Lorenzo Tanada 3rd of Quezon, Rep. Eduardo Zialcita of Parañaque, Rep. Eduardo Veloso of Leyte, Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano of Taguig-Pateros, and Party-list Reps. Emmanuel Joel Villanueva. The House has to ratify the same committee report before an enrolled copy is sent to President Arroyo for her signature, the last act in lawmaking.