REPUBLIC ACT No. 3870
AN ACT DEFINING THE FUNCTIONS OF THE U.P. LAW CENTER, PROVIDING FOR ITS FINANCING AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
WHEREAS, the University of the Philippines has established in its College of Law a unit known as the Continuing Legal Education and Research Center, hereinafter referred to as the U.P. Law Center;
WHEREAS, the major purpose of the University of the Philippines in the establishment of this unit is the advancement of legal scholarship, the protection of human rights with emphasis on the improvement of the legal system and the administration of justice, and the assumption of leadership in overcoming the criticism directed at professional competence and responsibility;
WHEREAS, the said unit is presently engaged in three areas of activities to effectuate these objectives, namely; (a) research and publication program, (b) public faculty lecture program, and (c) continuing legal education program, which is further divided into the law institute program and the vacation studies program;
WHEREAS, reform in law and the machinery of justice as well as law enforcement for the better protection of human rights is a continuing concern of the Government: Now, therefore
Section 1. The Continuing Legal Education and Research Center of the College of Law, University of the Philippines, also known and hereinafter referred to as the U. P. Law Center, shall perform the following functions:
(1) To undertake technical studies and researches in law, with emphasis on Philippine Law, particularly on projects for reforms in the judiciary, public administration, civil rights protection, international relations, and law enforcement;
(2) To undertake law institutes or study programs for continuing legal education;
(3) To undertake legal studies and researches on request from the various agencies of the government concerned with law reform, including the committees on Revision of Laws of the House of Representatives and the Senate;
(4) To undertake the publications of studies, monographs, research papers, articles, and other works or writings on law, with special emphasis on those related to its general objectives, and to distribute them at cost to government agencies, judges, lawyers, government administrators and other interested parties, and
(5) To perform all other acts as may be necessary for the achievement of its objectives and functions, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the University including the granting of research awards, prizes, scholarships and fellowships.
Section 2. Any provision of law to the contrary notwithstanding, appointments to the administrative or research staff of the U. P. Law Center may be on a part-time basis and shall be exempt from the requirements and restrictions of the Civil Service Law, the Retirement Law, and Section five hundred twenty-nine of the Revised Administrative Code: Provided, That any retiree employed in the U. P. Law Center shall not be required to reimburse or refund any gratuity received from the Government nor shall any pension or annuity to which he is entitled be suspended or reduced on account of his employment in the U. P. Law Center.
Section 3. In order to enhance the facilities of the U. P. Law Center, no book, treatise, or other literary work on law shall be deemed entitled to copyright protection as provided in the Copyright Law, unless, in addition to the requirements therein prescribed, two copies thereof shall have been previously filed with the U. P. Law Center, as shown by official receipt thereof; and all government agencies, including the appellate courts, administrative courts, boards, and commissions, performing or discharging adjudicative, quasi-legislative functions, are hereby obliged to furnish the U. P. Law Center, free of charge and on request, with at least one copy of each decision, resolution, regulation, bulletin, or report promulgated or published by such agencies in the regular course of business. The materials thus gathered shall be open to all researchers, whether in the government service or otherwise.
Section 4. In order to provide for the support of the U. P. Law Center, the additional amount of five pesos in the case of the appellate courts and the additional amount of two pesos in the case of all other courts, subject to the supervision of the Department of Justice, shall be collected by their respective clerks of courts, or equivalent functionary, for each action or special proceeding filed therewith and for which the fees prescribed in the Rules of Court or for not more than one year at the discretion of the Court, in any statute or regulation are due and payable. Such additional amounts shall be receipted for separately as part of a special fund to be known as the Legal Research Fund."
Section 5. Any person who willfully violates any of the provisions of this Act shall be punished with a fine of not more than two thousand pesos or with imprisonment and shall be turned over by the clerks of court to the chief accountant of the Department of Justice who in turn shall remit the same at the end of each fiscal year to the University of the Philippines for the use of the U. P. Law Center in accordance with this Act.
Section 6. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.
Approved: June 12, 1964
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