EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 705-A, April 10, 2008

AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 705, SERIES OF 2008, BY INCLUDING THE HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS ACCREDITED BY THE FOUR OTHER ACCREDITING AGENCIES NOT TO BE SUBJECTED TO THE INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY ASSURANCE MONITORING AND EVALUATION PROCESS, AND CREATING A COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR ACCREDITATION HEADED BY THE COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION

WHEREAS, Executive Order No. 705 dated January 2, 2008 subjected private schools not accredited with the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU) to the Institutional Quality Assurance Monitoring and Evaluation (IQUAME) process;

WHEREAS, other accrediting agencies are desirous of the same benefits enjoyed by PAASCU-accredited schools, colleges and universities;

WHEREAS, the Presidential Task Force for Education has endorsed the proposal of the Presidential Commission on Educational Reform (PCER) for the establishment of a set of common standards for accreditation per discipline.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by law, do hereby order:

Section 1. Section 1 of Executive Order No. 705, dated January 2, 2008, is hereby amended to read as follows:

“Section 1. Higher education institutions with programs accredited by the five existing accrediting agencies, namely: the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU), the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities – Commission on Accreditation (PACU-COA), the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities — Accrediting Agency (ACSCU-AA), the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities (AACUP), and the Association of Local Colleges and Universities – Commission on Audit (ALCU-COA), shall not be subjected by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) under the process of Institutional Quality Assurance Monitoring and Evaluation (IQUAME), provided that these accrediting agencies conform with a set of common standards formulated by a Coordinating Council on Accreditation (CCA), hereafter to be established by the CHED.”

Section 2. The Coordinating Council on Accreditation, Creation and Composition. The Coordinating Council on Accreditation (CCA) is hereby created, and shall be composed of a Commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) who shall sit as chair, and a representative from each of the five (5) existing accrediting agencies as members.

Section 3. CCA Secretariat. The CCA shall be assisted by a Secretariat who shall be based in the CHED. Its main responsibility is to ensure the efficient and effective operations of the CCA. It shall be composed of Technical Staff drawn from the CHED.

Section 4. CCA Meetings. The CCA shall meet at least once every quarter or as often as may be determined by the CHED.

Section 5. Funding. The funds for the operating expenses of the CCA shall be drawn from the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF).

Section 6. Repeal. – All executive orders, rules and regulations and other issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this Executive Order, are hereby revoked, amended, or modified accordingly.

Section 7. Effectivity. – ­This Executive Order shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in a national newspaper of general circulation.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 10th day of April in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Eight.

(SGD.) GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO

By the President:

(SGD.) IGNACIO R. BUNYE

Acting Executive Secretary