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Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 845
Introduced by: REP. DIMSZAR M. SALI 
AN ACT  
RENAMING THE TAWI-TAWI REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AS THE 
TAWI-TAWI STATE COLLEGE, STRENGTHENING ITS GOVERNING BOARD, 
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College (TRAC) is one of the leading public colleges in the 
province of Tawi-Tawi. It is envisioned to become the center of excellence in the field of 
agriculture and allied disciplines in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao 
(BARMM). 
TRAC was formerly known as the Sulu National Regional Agricultural School (SNRAS). When 
Tawi-Tawi was constituted as a separate province from Sulu, the SNRAS was renamed as Tawi-
Tawi National Regional Agricultural School (TNRAS) in 1982 through Batas Pambansa Blg. 199. 
Then in 1983, the school was converted into a college and was renamed as the Tawi-Tawi 
Regional Agricultural College by virtue of Batas Pambansa Bilang 384.   
TRAC offered collegiate and graduate programs in the fields of agriculture, agricultural and 
teacher education, and home technology. In 1994, through Republic Act No. 7722 otherwise 
known as the Higher Education Act of 1994, TRAC offered more programs as approved by its 
Board of Trustees. Subsequently, in 1997 RA 8292 or the Higher Education Modernization Act of 
1997 was enacted. However, despite these developments in the realm of higher education, the 
TRAC’s Charter remains unchanged.  
TRAC needs to adapt to these developments in order to provide the students in the province of 
Tawi-Tawi and the BARMM greater access and opportunities to higher education programs and 
to effectively perform its mandate. 
July 1, 2025
2:19 pm


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This bill seeks to rename TRAC as the Tawi-Tawi State College (TTSC) and to strengthen its 
governing board.  
This Representation filed this bill in the 19th Congress. It was approved on Third Reading by the 
House of Representatives and transmitted to the Senate. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
 HON. DIMSZAR M. SALI 
 Lone District, Tawi-Tawi 


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Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 845 
Introduced by: REP. DIMSZAR M. SALI 
AN ACT  
RENAMING THE TAWI-TAWI REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE AS THE 
TAWI-TAWI STATE COLLEGE, STRENGTHENING ITS GOVERNING BOARD, 
AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1.  Renaming. - The Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College (TRAC) in the 
municipality of Bongao, Province of Tawi-Tawi, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim 
Mindanao (BARMM), is renamed as the Tawi-Tawi State College (TTSC). 
SEC. 2.   General Mandate. – The TTSC shall primarily provide advanced instruction and 
professional training in agriculture, education, technology, business, arts and sciences, and 
other relevant fields of study. It shall also promote advanced research, extension services, and 
provide progressive leadership in its areas of specialization. 
SEC. 3. Curricular Offerings. – The TTSC shall offer undergraduate and graduate courses in 
the fields of agriculture, education, criminal justice, information and communications 
technology, social sciences, business management, science and mathematics, allied health, 
engineering and technology, nontraditional programs, and other courses, as the Board of 


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Trustees may deem necessary to carry out its objectives, and those which respond to the human 
resource development needs of the Province of Tawi-Tawi and the BARMM. 
 
SEC. 4.  Administration. – The TTSC shall have the general powers of a corporation set forth 
in Republic Act (RA) No. 11232, otherwise known as the “Revised Corporation Code of the 
Philippines”. The administration of the TTSC and the exercise of its corporate powers shall be 
vested exclusively in the Board of Trustees and the President of the TTSC. 
 
SEC. 5.  The Board of Trustees. – The governing body of the TTSC shall be the Board of 
Trustees, hereinafter referred to as the Board. The Chairperson of the Board shall be the 
Chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Vice Chairperson shall 
be the President of the TTSC. The following shall be the members: 
a) Chairperson of the Commission on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education of the 
Senate; 
b) Chairperson of the Committee on Higher and Technical Education, of the House of 
Representatives; 
c) Chairperson of the Committee on Basic, Higher, and Technical Education of the 
Bangsamoro Parliament; 
d) Regional Director of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA);   
e) Regional Director of the Department of Agriculture; 
f) President of the federation of faculty associations of the TTSC; 
g) President of the federation of student councils of the TTSC; 
h) President of the federation of alumni associations of the TTSC; 
i) Representative of the nonteaching or personnel association of the TTSC; and 
j) Two (2) prominent citizens from the private sector who have distinguished themselves 
in their professions or fields of specialization. 
 
The Board shall appoint two (2) prominent citizens who shall be selected from a list of at least 
five (5) qualified persons from the Province of Tawi-Tawi, as recommended by a Search 
Committee constituted by the President of the TTSC, in consultation with the Chairperson of 


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the CHED and other members of the Board, based on the guidelines, qualifications and 
standards for the position set by the Board. They shall serve for a term of two (2) years from 
the date of appointment. 
 
The terms of office of the presidents of the federation of faculty associations, federation of 
student councils, federation of alumni associations, and the representative of the nonteaching 
personnel shall be coterminous with their terms of office, as provided under their respective 
constitutions and bylaws. 
 
In case of vacancy among appointive positions in the Board, the vacancy shall be filled by the 
Board following the guidelines set by it, and the appointee shall hold office only for the 
unexpired portion of the term. 
 
SEC. 6. Powers and Duties of the Board. – In addition to its general powers of administration 
and the powers granted to the board of directors of a corporation under Section 35 of RA No. 
11232, and other existing laws, the Board shall have the following specific powers and duties: 
 
a) Promulgate and implement policies in accordance with the declared State policies on 
education, other pertinent provisions of the Constitution on education, agriculture, 
science and technology, and the policies, standards and thrusts of the CHED under R.A. 
No. 7722, otherwise known as the Higher Education Act of 1994; 
b) Approve the curricula, instructional programs, and rules on student discipline drawn by 
the Administrative and Academic Councils, as herein provided; 
c) Appoint, upon the recommendation of the President of the TTSC, the vice presidents, 
chancellors, deans, directors, heads of the campuses, faculty members, and other 
officials and employees of the TTSC; 
d) Prescribe the salaries of faculty members and administrative officials and employees, 
subject to the provisions of R.A. No. 11466, otherwise known as the “Salary 
Standardization Law of 2019”, and other laws amendatory thereto, Civil Service Rules 
and Regulations governing hours of service and such other requirements and 
conditions, other pertinent laws, rules and regulations; 


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e) Hear and decide the administrative cases or matters brought before it on appeal from 
the Office of the President involving the TTSC officials and employees, in accordance 
with the Rules on Administrative Cases of the Civil Service Commission; 
f) Fix the tuition fees and other necessary school charges, such as matriculation fees, 
graduation fees, and laboratory fees, as the Board may deem proper to impose, after 
due consultation with the concerned sectors. The fees and charges, including 
government subsidies and other income generated by the TTSC, shall constitute its 
funds to be used exclusively in the pursuit of its mandate as a state college, and shall 
be deposited in any authorized government depository bank. All interests that shall 
accrue therefrom shall form part of the same funds for the use of the TTSC;  
 
The fees and charges collected by the TTSC, including government subsidies and 
proceeds from other income sources, as well as interests that would accrue therefrom, 
shall be retained by the College: Provided, That in no case shall the said income be 
used for the payment of allowances and other benefits not authorized by law: Provided, 
further, That all fiduciary fees shall be disbursed for the specific purpose for which they 
were collected;  
 
If the TTSC, for reasons beyond its control, would not be able to pursue any project for 
which funds have been appropriated and allocated under its approved program of 
expenditures, the Board may authorize the use of said fund for any reasonable purpose 
for which it deems necessary and urgent for the attainment of the objectives of the 
TTSC: Provided, That funds collected from students for specific purposes shall not be 
realigned or reprogrammed to other expenditures;  
g) Adopt and implement a socialized scheme of tuition and other school fees for greater 
access of poor but deserving students in accordance with RA No. 10931, otherwise 
known as the “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act”; 
h) Establish professorial chairs in the TTSC and provide fellowships for qualified faculty 
members, and scholarships to deserving students; 


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i) Receive and appropriate sums as may be provided for by law for the support of the 
TTSC, and all other sums in the manner it may, in its discretion, determine to carry out 
the purposes and functions of the TTSC; 
j) Set the policies on admission and graduation of students; 
k) Award honorary degrees upon persons in recognition of their outstanding 
contributions in the fields of education, public service, arts, science and technology, 
sports and human kinetics or any field of specialization within the academic 
competency of the TTSC, and authorize the awarding of certificates of completion of 
nondegree and nontraditional courses;  
l) Develop academic arrangements for institutional capability building with appropriate 
institutions and agencies, whether public, private, local or foreign, and appoint experts 
or specialists as consultants, part-time, visiting or exchange professors, scholars or 
researchers, as the case may be; 
m) Adopt modern and innovative modes of transferring knowledge to allow greater 
access to education such as the use of information technology, online programs, the 
dual training system, open distance learning, and community laboratory;  
n) Absorb non-chartered tertiary education institutions within the Province of Tawi-Tawi 
and the BARMM as branches, extension campuses, and external centers, in 
coordination with the CHED and in consultation with the Department of Budget and 
Management, and offer therein programs or courses to carry out the constitutional 
mandate of providing equal access to educational opportunities; 
o) Authorize an external management audit of the TTSC, to be financed by the CHED,  
subject to the rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit, and institute reforms, 
including academic and structural changes, on the basis of the audit results and 
recommendations; 
p) Create, organize, reorganize, merge or abolish regular and extension campuses, 
colleges, institutes, and other academic and administrative units of the TTSC; 
q) Develop consortia and other economic forms of linkages with local government units, 
as well as public, private, local or foreign institutions and agencies for the furtherance 
of the purposes and objectives of the TTSC; 


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r) Import books or publications, instruments, equipment and apparatuses for economic, 
technical-vocational, scientific, medical, philosophical, historical, legal or cultural 
purposes;  
s) Enter into joint ventures with business industry, after consultation with the NEDA for 
the profitable growth and management of economic assets, the proceeds of which shall 
be used for the development and strengthening of the TTSC; 
t) Receive, in trust, all legacies, gifts, and donations of real and personal properties of all 
kinds and administer and dispose of the same, when necessary, for the benefit of the 
TTSC and subject to the limitations, directions, and instructions of the donor, if any; 
u) Delegate any of its powers and duties to the President and other officials of the TTSC, 
as it may deem appropriate, so as to expedite the administration of the affairs of the 
TTSC; 
v) Establish policy guidelines and procedures for participative and transparent decision- 
making within the TTSC; 
w) Where most advantageous to the TTSC, outsource the management of nonacademic 
services such as health, food, buildings or grounds or property maintenance, and such 
other similar activities; 
x) Authorize the construction or repair of its buildings, machinery, equipment and other 
facilities, and the purchase and acquisition of real property, including the necessary 
supplies, materials, and equipment; and 
y) Promulgate rules and regulations, as may be necessary, to carry out the purposes and 
functions of the TTSC. 
 
SEC. 7. Meetings of the Board. – The Board shall regularly convene once every three (3) 
months. The Chairperson of the Board may, however, call a special meeting whenever 
necessary: Provided, That members are notified in writing at least three (3) days prior to the 
conduct of said meeting.  
 


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A quorum of the Board shall consist of a majority of all its members holding office at the time 
of the meeting: Provided, however, That the Chairperson of the Board or the President of the 
TTSC is among those present in the meeting. 
 
In case the Chairperson of the CHED cannot attend a meeting of the Board, a CHED 
Commissioner duly designated by Chairperson of the CHED as representative to the meeting, 
shall have all the rights and responsibilities of a regular member: Provided, That during the 
meeting, the President of the TTSC, as Vice Chairperson, shall be the presiding officer: 
Provided, further, That this provision notwithstanding, the Chairperson of the CHED may 
designate a CHED Commissioner as the regular Chairperson of the Board, in which case, the 
said CHED Commissioner shall act as the presiding officer. 
 
In case the Chairpersons of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational 
Education and the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education cannot attend the 
Board meeting, they may designate their respective representatives who shall have the same 
rights and responsibilities as regular members of the Board. 
 
The members of the Board shall serve without compensation other than reimbursements for 
actual and necessary expenses incurred, either for their attendance to the meetings of the Board 
or in connection with other official business authorized by resolutions of the Board, subject to 
existing laws and regulations. 
 
SEC. 8.  The Secretary of the TTSC – The Board shall appoint a Secretary who shall serve 
as such for both the Board and the TTSC and shall keep all records and proceedings of the 
Board in addition to other duties and responsibilities. The Secretary of the TTSC shall serve 
upon each member of the Board the appropriate notice of Board meetings. 
 
SEC. 9. The Treasurer of the TTSC. The Treasurer of the Philippines shall be the ex officio 
Treasurer of the TTSC. 
 


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SEC. 10.  The Administrative Council.  There shall be an Administrative Council consisting 
of the President of the TTSC, as Chairperson, and the vice-president, deans, director, and other 
officials of equal rank, as members, whose duty is to review and recommend to the Board such 
policies governing the administration, management, and development planning of the TTSC.  
 
SEC. 11.  The Academic Council. There shall be an Academic Council consisting of the 
President of the TTSC, as Chairperson, and all academic staff with the rank of at least an 
assistant professor, as members, which shall formulate academic policies. 
 
The Academic Council shall review and recommend the curricular offerings and rules on 
student discipline, fix the requirements for the admission of students, as well as for their 
graduation and conferment of degrees, exercise disciplinary power over the students and 
formulate rules and regulations on student discipline, subject to the review and approval of the 
Board through the President of the TTSC. 
 
It shall have disciplinary power over the students of the TTSC and shall formulate rules and 
regulations on student discipline, subject to the approval of the Board. 
 
SEC. 12.  Academic Freedom and Institutional Autonomy. --The TTSC shall enjoy 
academic freedom and institutional autonomy pursuant to Paragraph 2, Section 5 of Article 
XIV of the Constitution. 
 
SEC. 13.  Assets, Liabilities, and Personnel. All assets, both real and personal, personnel and 
records of the TRAC, as well as its liabilities or obligations, shall be transferred to the TTSC. 
 
All parcels of land belonging to the government occupied by the TRAC are declared as property 
of the TTSC and shall be titled under its name: Provided, That should the TTSC cease to exist 
or be abolished or should such aforementioned parcels of land be no longer needed by the 
TTSC, the same shall revert to the concerned local government unit or to the Republic of the 
Philippines, as the case may be. 


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SEC. 14.  Appropriations.  – The amount necessary for the initial implementation of this Act 
shall be charged against the current year’s appropriation of the TRAC. Thereafter, such amount 
shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SEC. 15.  Suppletory Application. – The provisions of RA No. 8292, otherwise known as the 
“Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997”, shall form part of this Act. 
 
SEC. 16.  Implementing Rules and Regulations.  – Within sixty (60) days of the approval of 
this Act, the Board shall, in consultation with the CHED, issue rules and regulations to 
implement its provisions.  
 
SEC. 17.  Separability Clause. –If, for any reason, any part or provision of this Act is declared 
invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected are in full force and 
effect. 
 
SEC. 18.  Repealing Clause. –– Batas Pambansa Blg. 384, entitled “An Act Converting the 
Sulu National Regional Agricultural School in the Municipality of Bongao, Province of Tawi-
Tawi, into a College to be Known as the Tawi-Tawi Regional Agricultural College, and 
Authorizing the Appropriation of Funds Therefor”, and all laws, presidential decrees, executive 
orders, rules and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are 
repealed or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 19. Effectivity. –This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days after its publication in 
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,