The University of the Philippines (UP; Filipino: Unibersidad ng Pilipinas or Pamantasan ng Pilipinas) is a public university system in the Philippines. Founded by the American colonial government on June 18, 1908, it was originally a university conceived for the Filipinos. Act 1870 of the 1st Philippine Legislature was signed to establish UP to provide "advanced instruction in literature, philosophy, the sciences and arts, and to give professional and technical training" to eligible students regardless of "age, sex, nationality, religious belief and political affiliation". UP has institutional autonomy as the country's national university as mandated by Republic Act No. 9500 (UP Charter of 2008).