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By Senator Edgardo J. Angara
THE signing of the University of
the Philippines’ new Charter of 2007, or Republic Act 9500, by
President Arroyo on April 29, 2008, was the culmination of intense
work that spanned three Congresses. The more than seven years that
it took to enact the UP Charter is worth it. And it has become more
meaningful because it became a law while UP celebrates its
centennial.
A new charter for UP is needed to
keep it attuned to the times, to enable it to grow, and to keep it
as a leading academic institution. The UP Charter gives the
university direction, fiscal autonomy and the potential to be one of
the leading research universities in Asia. In fact, it should be one
of the top 20 in the world, alongside Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge,
Yale, Imperial College London, Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Columbia, Duke, and others.
I had the rare fortune and
exceptional opportunity to run the University of the Philippines as
its 14th president. And I tell everyone, it is very difficult to run
an institution like the UP because everybody thinks that he or she
is brighter than the UP president—which may sometimes be true.
With fiscal autonomy and flexibility given to the UP by its new
charter, it should now be easier to manage, direct and drive the
development of UP as a dynamic institution. However, many at UP will
not stop at thinking that he or she is brighter than the UP
president, because UP truly attracts the best and the brightest in
the land.
The charter removes UP from the
coverage of the Salary Standardization Law. This gives the UP Board
of Regents the flexibility to design a more attractive and
competitive compensation package for faculty and staff. At present a
professor from, say, Ateneo receives up to three times more than
what a UP professor does. But a UP professor enjoys certain
privileges that an Ateneo professor does not, and that is academic
freedom, both personal and institutional, as well as security of
tenure. My theory is that if a UP professor gets at least two-thirds
of an Ateneo professor’s salary, then they are already at par.
With an improved remuneration, we can not only attract the best and
the brightest but also keep them.
Gifts and donations to an
education institution are tax-free. The UP Charter reiterates this
because the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs
often come up with their own regulations and circulars that negate
the intent of promoting education by providing tax exemption and
incentives to charitable grants and gifts.
Donations to UP are also free
from donor’s tax and can be claimed as a tax deduction. The
purpose of this provision is that government is unable to provide
all that the national university needs and therefore, philanthropic
citizens may be able to supplement what government cannot give.
The charter also exempts from
customs duties the importation of economic, technical, scientific,
philosophical, historical and cultural books, supplies and materials
duly certified by the Board of Regents, including scientific and
educational instruments, computer and software equipment. All
transactions are zero-rated for value-added tax and all academic
awards are tax-exempt.
The new UP Charter makes UP
“the National University.” Before, when we spoke of a “State
University” UP immediately came to mind. There are about 112 state
universities and colleges today, with each of them claiming the
status of a “State University,” and the reference to UP was
lost. The Charter reiterates the premiere status of UP by making it
the National University.
But the characterization of NU is
more than an honorific title. In terms of preferences among the
hierarchy of state universities and colleges, UP must always
maintain the lead in budgetary appropriations. But there is also a
corresponding obligation on the part of a National University.
Thailand has a National
University in Chulalongkorn University; Singapore has the National
University of Singapore; Japan, the Tokyo University, and Korea, the
Seoul National University. These National Universities are champions
of education in their respective countries. Their scientists and
academics enjoy national stature and many are of international
stature. They lead in research and do pioneering academic work.
The charter similarly directs UP
to serve as the research university in various fields of expertise
and specialization, conducting basic and applied research, and
promoting research in the various colleges and campuses, and
contributing to the dissemination and application of knowledge.
This is a mission close to my
heart because I have been promoting research and development not
only in UP but also in all state universities and colleges. As vice
chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, I provided extra
research funds to state universities doing meritorious research and
development programs.
I have also authored the law
creating the Joint Congressional Commission on Science, Technology
and Engineering (COMSTE) to enhance their development and make the
Philippines more competitive globally.
These are among the things
expected of a National University. Can we expect UP to discharge
that return obligation? On its centenary, I hope we can establish
that as a fact —that UP with its new charter can maintain and
continue its academic leadership with greater energy and sharper
vision, in the midst of an extraordinarily competitive and highly
creative present world of talent and knowledge.
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