Pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 9155 or the Basic Education Act of 2001 and DECS Order No. 57, s. 1995, as well as applicable rules and issuances, the DepEd shall firmly establish ownership of school sites occupied by public elementary and secondary schools nationwide, contribute to the further development and improvement of the public school system, protect the rights and interests of the DepEd from legal and administrative issues affecting school sites, and ensure that the funds allocated for the titling and acquisition of DepEd properties will be utilized.
In the spirit of Presidential Proclamation No. 684, the DepEd heretofore expresses its unequivocal desire to resolve, develop and utilize the University Center for its educational projects, programs and plans, and exercise its propriety and ownership rights under existing laws and regulations.
In line with this, the DepEd University Center Task Force (DUCTF) is hereby created to formulate policies and programs associated with this understanding, among others.
The Chairman and Members of the DepEd University Center Task Force are as follows:
Chairman:Undersecretary for Finance and AdministrationMembers:Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs Assistant Secretary and Chief of StaffDirector, Administrative ServiceChief, Accounting DivisionChief, Property DivisionChief, Physical Facilities Schools Engineering Division (PFSED)DepEd Legal ConsultantDepEd Technical Consultant
The Task Force will be assisted by a Secretariat initially composed of DepEd Central Office (CO) personnel, as designated by the Task Force.
To effectively implement the mandate of the DUCTF will undertake the following activities:
- Policy Determination and Formulation;
- Identification and Profiling of Occupants;
- Technical Review and Creation of Development Plans
- Inter-agency and Inter-office Coordination Works; and
- Legal Research and Assistance.
Expenses incurred by the DUCTF shall be charged to the Maintainance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and Office of the Secretary (OSEC) Funds subject to the usual accounting and auditing rules and regulations.
All previous and existing Orders/Memoranda inconsistent with this Order are hereby amended accordingly.