The University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), the first state university in the Visayas based in Catarman, Northern Samar will establish satellite campuses in three towns of the province.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Northern Samar provincial government said President Rodrigo Duterte signed on June 4, 2022 Republic Act 11860—An Act establishing the UEP campuses in the towns of Allen, Victoria, and Lavezares towns. Northern Samar Rep. Paul Daza (1st district) authored the law.

The law authorizes the offering of short-term technical-vocational, as well as undergraduate and graduate courses to as many students in the area.

The same law mandates the three campuses to undertake research and extension services, just as the other UEP campuses engage in said services.

“This latest development in education is crucial to be able to respond to the human resources development needs of the province,” said Northern Samar Governor Edwin Ongchuan.

“With the growing economy comes also the need to capacitate people of Northern Samar in the different fields of industry, which UEP, as the sole state university in Northern Samar, must be able to provide in the long term, to support the development of the province,” Ongchuan added.

The satellite campuses will be headed by a director and the budget for its operation will be included in the General Appropriations Act.

The UEP main campus in Catarman, the capital town of Northern Samar, is the first government-owned school that attained its university status in the Visayas.

From its lowly beginnings as a mere agricultural high school in 1918, UEP became a full-fledged state university in 1964.

In 1964, when it attained state university status, UEP was offering courses only in agriculture, arts and sciences, business, education, engineering, and veterinary medicine.

Today, its additional courses include law, criminology, information technology, and nursing.

Presently, its academic scope encompasses 30 graduate courses, 64 undergraduate courses, and one law degree program.

In 1999, the school opened satellite campuses in the towns of Laoang and Catubig by converting existing agricultural colleges. (PNA)