Technological University of the Philippines – Visayas


The Visayan Technician Institute, of the TUP-Visayas now, under the supervision of the Technological University of the Philippines, occupies a four-hectare lot consisting of five major buildings and costing a total of five million, five hundred thousand pesos (P5.5). Training equipment for the various technology area cost approximately eight million pesos (P8 M).

The land was acquired as a provincial government donation during the incumbency of the then Honorable Governor Alfredo Montelibano Jr. The four-hectare lot was initially occupied by the Talisay Provincial High School but was relinquished in favor of the said institution.

VTI (as it was formerly known) offered three year technician course in six major fields of study. Admission to VTI was opened to all physically and mentally fit Filipino high school graduates, 16 to 25 years of age, with above average academic performances in major subjects who pass the Technician Admission Test and interview given at designated centers throughout the Visayas.

Having considered the transformation of the Philippine economy from which is predominantly agricultural, to one with substantial industrial activities and thus resulted in an increase in the demand of well qualified industrial technicians, the government through then President Ferdinand Marcos, issued and executive order establishing the Presidential Commission to Survey Philippines Education (PCSPE) to analyze the performance of the educational system and determine its relevance to development goals with emphasis placed on the system’s capacity to meet the manpower requirements of the of national development and to recommend specific ways of improving the system to meet these goals more efficiently. The executive order was triggered by the fact that post-secondary technician education course being offered in state colleges and vocational schools have intended to produce either engineers or craftsmen and are thus inadequate to meet this demand for middle level manpower.

In 1970, the Commission came up with the following recommendations that have been materialized: The establishment of achievable educational objectives relevant to national development goals; the creation of the Board of National Education rested with the task of making policies on education and the formation of long-term educational plans; the development of middle manpower ( the establishment of VTI curriculum); the recognition of the DEC making it more responsive to regional and institutional needs by instituting better resources allocation and management information procedures ( the development of Presidential Decree 6-A).

In 1971, the Education Task Force (ETF) replaced the PCSPE, putting into action the recommendations. On the following year, Pres. Marcos issued Presidential Decree 6-A, otherwise known as the Educational Development Decree of 1972, which acted upon the restatement of educational goals; the redirection to the needs of national development; the identification of financing resource; the integration of educational planning and provision of the mechanism for implementing development projects.

To effect the implementation of the objectives of the Decree, the Educational Development Projects Implementing Task Force (EDPITAF) was created and assigned the task of supervising and implementing foreign-assisted development projects; implementing such other development projects as may be assigned to it by the Secretary of Education and Culture.

In 1973, all negotiations were finalized with signing of the credit agreement 348H between the Philippines and the International Development Association (IDA).

The first batch of students was enrolled in June 1977.

In January 1978, Presidential Letter of Instruction No. 654 was issued formally establishing the Visayas and Manila Technician Institutes as prototype schools and declared them “critical institutions”. The said LOI likewise specified that the school should allow and make arrangements for on-the-job training.

That same year, projects established by EDPITAF were two technician institutes: the Visayas Technician Institute in Talisay and the Manila Technician Institute in Taguig, Metro Manila, as campuses of the University by virtue of LOI No. 79.

The University offers 3-year courses in seven areas of technology namely: Automotive Technology, Chemical Technology, Electrical Technology, Electronics Technology, Mechanical Technology and Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology.

In SY: 1980-81, evening classes was offered at the University with the Industrial Technician course in Electrical and Mechanical Technology as its initial offering. The course was designed primarily for the working industrial sector of the community. However, it didn’t last long and in 6 years, it was phase out due to budgetary constraints.

In January 1985, TUP-Visayas Technician Institute was renamed Technological University of the Philippines – Visayas under Implementing Order No. 85-15.

In 1986, the University introduced in their Curriculum the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering Course, to serve the need of trainees’ for a degree.

In September 1987, a 15-year development plan for Negros Occidental was launched by the Provincial Government under the leadership of then Governor Daniel L. Lacson Jr. TUP-V was identified and looked upon by the province as a training center to spearhead skills and technology training as a catalyst for development.

In school year 1989-1990, the Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Communications Engineering was offered. The first three years was based on the three term technician curriculum, the remaining two years add up for the degree. Also in the same year, the revised curriculum on Engineering Technology was initially implemented, thus, the birth of the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology was offered at the University to cope with technicians hoping to have a degree course on their part.

In SY 1990-91, the BSME curriculum was revised to that of the BSECE curriculum, offering the Mechanical Engineering Technology leading to BSME during the first three years as a tri-term technician curriculum and the last two years as a three-term degree curriculum. Starting this school year, all courses offered by the University followed a three-year technician curriculum with all trainees undergoing SIT I, II & III during summer.

In mid-August of 1991, Mr. Junichiro Doi and some Japanese nationals representing the Supporting Association of Japanese-Philippines called on the then Governor of Negros Occidental, after hearing about the 15 year development plan, that they would help develop the Japanese-Filipino descendants’ technical skills for gaining employment abroad particularly Japan. The group was directed to TUP-V to discuss with Director Leoncio Jamora for a possible tie-up for training and for possible projects that will help both countries.

In January of 1992, Mr. Doi came back from Japan with very firm commitments from Japanese officials who feel that TUP-V could serve as a training center for Japanese descendants prior to employment in Japan and possibly Taiwan.

The nature of the plan coincided with what was originally envisioned by TUP-V for the development of Negros Occidental’s manpower resources included in the 15 year masterplan.

Nippongo language course was offered at TUP-V courtesy of Miss Kayo Nakahira, a Japanese volunteer who was later replaced by Mr. Hisao Iwama.

In July 1992, Mr. Doi made necessary studies to finalize the plans for the training center, expanding not only to descendants, but Filipinos who need special skills for overseas employment. The plan included three multipurpose health centers in Bacolod, Silay and Talisay, together with 15 satellite clinics.

In1991 and 1992, the two batches of graduates of TU-V for Mechanical Engineering Courses landed in the top 20 list of the Licensure examination given by the government for engineering graduates.

In the last quarter of 1991, TUP-V was identified by the Department of Science and Technology in the province, motivating our provincial decision makers to conceptualize the establishments of the Technology and Resource training center.

In March 1994, the first batch consisting of 14 students of Electronics and Communications Engineering graduated.

In the same year month and year, five representatives from TUP-V were sent to Italy, accompanied by 17 other from sister schools, to attend a training seminar organized by Centro-Ellis, arm of the Italian government for training purposes. The seminar was part of the Italian Grant to the Philippines regarding the technological aspect of the country.

When Mr. Doi made the final decision to accept TUP-Visayas as the center for the Negros, Occidental Technology Resource and Training Center, we were in the footsteps of technological maturity.

According to Ms. Elizabeth Vicente, Assistant Director for Research and Extension, the conflict began when the Japanese wholeheartedly intended that the cost of the equipment, as well as the building would be paid by the grant. However, the contract of the Philippine government with the Japanese association was contradicting. The contract proposed that the Philippine government pay for the cost of the building. Mr. Doi became confused. The proposal was given a time period whether it would materialize after what had happened. It was later found out that it was not in the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) priority for probable commencement. The proposal became a quick virtual story with no continuation.

Having therefore accepted the Italian aid. The TUP-Visayas was chosen as the most trusted and well eager among its sister school. The Italian grant choose TUP-V to house the machine included in the Italian donation. With the new machines in mind, the administration plans to offer a new course for the School Year 1996-97, the Electromechanical Technology. The machines were brought there in February 1996, and a building now rises extending from the engineering building due north.

TUP-Visayas
BRIEF HISTORY OF VISAYAS TECHNICIAN INSTITUTE

(now Technological University of the Philippines-Visayas)
In December 1969, President Marcos issued an Executive Order creating
the Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine Education (PCSPE) for the purpose of analyzing and recommending ways to improve the performance of the Philippine Educational System. When the study revealed that the country was faced with the shortage of middle level manpower, the President issued Presidential Decree 6-A which called for, among other things, the creation of a special project unit to supervise, implement and evaluate the educational development programs.

The project unit created was the Educational Development Projects
Implementing Task Force (EDPITAF). The task force negotiated and signed Credit Agreement No. 349PH with the International Development Association and the World Bank as the funding institution for $12.7M which paved the way for the establishment of three TECHNICIAN INSTITUTES and ten Regional Manpower Training Centers in strategic locations in the country.

Under the INSTITUTES Project was the establishment of two Technician
Institutes, namely; Bacolod Technician Institute (which was later on renamed Visayas Technician Institute) for the Visayas, the Manila Technician Institute for Luzon; and the upgrading of the facilities and selected faculty of the Iligan Institute of Technology under the Mindanao State University for the Mindanao area.

The loan amount intended for the INSTITUTES Project was used to
construct the buildings and purchase the equipment of the three technician institutes. The original buildings of VTI cost P5.5M while the equipment was P7.2M.

Portion of the loan was also spent for the training of the Core Faculty of the
three institutes, including the cost of technical assistance provided by technical experts and their local counterparts.

The core faculty of the institutes was trained in Manila by a consortium of
schools headed by Don Bosco Technical College and a consortium of industries for about three years (from 1974 to 1977). It was this group of faculty together with the foreign and local technical experts who developed the original curriculum of the Technician Institutes.

Visayas Technician Institute opened its doors in June of 1977 with 196
students from the different provinces in the Visayas.

On December 28, 1978, the President issued Letter of Instruction No. 79
(LOI 79), directing the establishment of the National Polytechnic System (NPS) through the integration of state-supported institutions in the Philippines. The Technological University of the Philippines (formerly Philippine College of Arts and Trades) became the umbrella institution. Visayas Technician Institute came under the administrative supervision of the Technological University of the Philippines.