Page 1 of 5 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and 
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr. 
House Bill No.  _____ 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
This bill was approved by the House of Representatives during the 19th Congress. 
This bill seeks to reclassify a certain parcel of land of the public domain from timberland 
to agricultural land for the Science and Technology (S-and-T) Park site purposes of the 
University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP). 
The USTP is a Level IV state university established pursuant to R.A. 10919, and is 
located at C.M. Recto Ave., Lapasan, Cagayan de Oro City.  
Background 
On November 26, 2004, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed Presidential 
Proclamation No. 739, reserving for school site purposes of the Mindanao Polytechnic State 
College (MPSC) a certain parcel of land of the public domain, classified as timberland under 
Land Classification Map No. 2768 certified and approved on November 20, 1972, containing 
an area of Two Million Nine Hundred Twenty One Thousand Four Hundred Nineteen 
(2,921,419) square meters, and situated in Barangay Lourdes, Municipality of Alubijid, 
Province of Misamis Oriental, Island of Mindanao. 
In 2009, the MPSC was converted into the Mindanao University of Science and 
Technology (MUST) with the enactment of R.A. 9519 (Act Converting the Mindanao 
Polytechnic State College into a State University to be known as the Mindanao University of 
Science and Technology). In 2016, R.A. 10919 amalgamated the MUST with the Misamis 
Oriental State College of Agriculture and Technology (MOSCAT), thereby establishing the 
USTP. 
R.A. 10919 provides for a USTP System which is composed of two (2) major 
campuses, i.e., the Cagayan de Oro Campus which is located at Cagayan de Oro City, and 
the Claveria Campus which is located at Claveria, Misamis Oriental. There are also three (3) 
satellite campuses, as follows: the Jasaan Campus which is located at Jasaan, Misamis 
Oriental, the Oroquieta Campus which is located at Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental, and 
the Panaon Campus which is located at Panaon, Misamis Occidental. 
Also, R.A. 10919 provides for an expanded composition of the university’s governing 
board – the Board of Regents. In addition to the usual representatives from the executive and 
the legislative departments, the Board’s composition also includes the following as members 
who shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines:  
a.
Four (4) prominent Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of duly recognized national or
multinational corporations who have distinguished themselves in the fields of
specialization of the university or who have entered into a partnership with the
university; and
July 14, 2025
8:01 am
1808


Page 2 of 5 
b.
Two (2) prominent academicians in the Philippines who have distinguished
themselves in the fields of specialization of the university through their publication
and track record in research.
Hence, the Board’s composition was expanded from a membership of eleven (11) to 
seventeen (17).  
Further, R.A. 10919 provides that the seat of administration of the university shall be 
established at its main campus which is located at Alubijid, Misamis Oriental. 
Rationale 
The USTP is a Level IV State University/College (SUC) (Highest Distinction) which is 
one of only seventeen (17) in the entire Philippines. It is a Center of Excellence (COE) in 
Information Technology, the only one in the entire Visayas and Mindanao. It is also a Center 
of Development (COD) in the fields of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Agriculture.  
The university’s mission is to (a) bring the world of work (industry) into the actual 
college training of students; (b) offer entrepreneurs the opportunity to maximize their business 
potentials through a gamut of services from product conceptualization to commercialization; 
and (c) contribute significantly to the national development goals of Food Security and Energy 
Sufficiency.  
Pursuant to R.A. 10919, the university is mandated to provide advance education, 
higher technological, professional and advance instruction in mathematics, science, 
technology, engineering, agriculture, and advance research and extension work in human 
resource development in critical science and technology skills and competencies required for 
global competitiveness. 
In order to strengthen industry linkages with the academe, Section 28 (Science and 
Technology Parks) of R.A. 10919 provides for the establishment of a Science and Technology 
(S-and-T) Park at the Alubijid Campus for the long-term development of the academic and 
research facilities in strong partnership with the industries.  
Further, Section 31 (Research and Development Collaboration) provides that the 
university shall be engaged as a research partner of partner industries and business entities 
from project conceptualization to technology prototyping. Finally, Section 32 (Academic 
Development Collaboration) provides that national and multinational corporations that are 
locators in the S-and-T Park shall participate in the formulation of the curricular programs of 
the university as experts and practitioners in keeping with the “Developing A Curriculum 
(DACUM)” process for competency-based curriculum. Whenever applicable, the university 
shall institutionalize the dual training program in curricular offerings where students are 
expected to undergo a minimum of one (1) year industry training as part of the requirements 
for graduation. In addition, a business immersion program shall be established as part of 
faculty enrichment to allow participants to gain insights into actual business operations and for 
research purposes. Under the program, faculty members shall render service in partner 
entities and the same shall be considered as part of government service. 
For this purpose, an Industry-Academe Council (IAC) shall be established as an 
advisory body composed of the members of the instructional staff with the rank not lower than 
professor, and two (2) members representing the business entities located in the S-and-T 
Park. 


Page 3 of 5 
Hence, the idea is that the entire Alubijid Campus shall be established as an S-and-T 
Park supportive of the long-term development of the academic and research facilities of the 
university – in strong partnership with the industries and the various agencies and 
instrumentalities of the government.  
Part of the strategy to achieve this goal is to establish a Regional Government Center 
(RGC) to form an integral part of the S-and-T Park.  The RGC shall be composed of local 
government offices, and various agencies of the national government to be identified by the 
Regional Development Council (RDC) of the National Economic and Development Authority 
(NEDA). The RGC shall serve as a sort of a one-stop shop to facilitate government 
transactions not only for the industry locators at the S-and-T Park but also for the research 
and academic collaborations of the university with national and multinational partner 
corporations and other partner industries and business entities. 
The former MPSC had evolved from a simple state college whose mission was “to 
provide quality relevant trained human resources and to promote research supportive of the 
industrialization program of Northern Mindanao,” into the USTP whose mandate is to provide 
advance education, higher technological, professional and advance instruction in 
mathematics, science, technology, engineering, agriculture, and advance research and 
extension work in human resource development in critical science and technology skills and 
competencies required for “global competitiveness. “The USTP is now an ecosystem of 
innovation and research and academic collaborations with national and multinational partner 
corporations and other partner industries and business entities. 
Thus, the immediate reclassification of the site from timberland to agricultural land for 
the S-and-T Park site purposes of the USTP is hereby highly enjoined. 
 RUFUS B. RODRIGUEZ 
  MAXIMO B. RODRIGUEZ, JR. 


Page 4 of 5 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session  
 
) 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez and 
Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr. 
House Bill No.  _____ 
AN ACT 
RECLASSIFYING AS AGRICULTURAL LAND A PARCEL OF LAND OF THE PUBLIC 
DOMAIN SITUATED AT LOURDES, ALUBIJID, PROVINCE OF MISAMIS ORIENTAL, TO 
BE UTILIZED AS THE SITE OF THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PARK OF THE 
UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY OF SOUTHERN PHILIPPINES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled: 
SECTION 1. Declaration as Agricultural Land. – A parcel of land of the public domain 
classified as timberland under Land Classification Map No. 2768 certified and approved on 
November 20, 1972, and embraced in Presidential Proclamation No. 739, dated November 
26, 2004, located in Barangay Lourdes, Municipality of Alubijid, Province of Misamis Oriental, 
is hereby reclassified as agricultural land and shall be utilized as the site of the Science and 
Technology Park of the University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines.  
SEC. 2. Scope and Coverage. – The said parcel is more particularly described as Lot 3, NR-
10-000011 AMD. pertaining to the area beginning at a point marked “1” on plan, being S 82°
45’ W, 2,720.24 meters from BLLM No.1, GSS-580, with geographic coordinates of 08° 31’
29.210’’ Latitude and 124° 26’ 00.775 Longitude located at Barangay Lourdes, Alubijid,
Province of Misamis Oriental,
thence S58-58-00E 544.57 
meters to corner 2; 
thence S65-31-00E 124.73 
meters to corner 3; 
thence S89-19-00E 104.05 
meters to corner 4; 
thence S71-16-00E 53.07  
meters to corner 5; 
thence S00-41-00W 77.51 
meters to corner 6; 
thence N64-53-00W 40.07 
meters to corner 7; 
thence S26-54-00W 50.16 
meters to corner 8; 
thence S52-10-00W 42.30 
meters to corner 9; 
thence S72-20-00W 47.86 
meters to corner 10; 
thence S24-58-00W 68.19 
meters to corner 11; 
thence S33-09-00E 127.26  
meters to corner 12; 
thence S09-47-00W 248.97 
meters to corner 13; 
thence S65-01-00W 668.77  
meters to corner 14; 
thence S54-08-00W 265.05  
meters to corner 15; 
thence S67-57-00W 1135.45 
meters to corner 16; 
thence S90-00-00W 699.97  
meters to corner 17; 
thence N00-22-00W 1044.41 
meters to corner 18; 
thence N72-00-00E 1250.08  
meters to corner 19; 
thence N72-00-00E 599.98  meters to corner 20; 
thence N55-06-00E 276.15  meters to corner 1, 
comprising an area of two hundred ninety-two hectares (292) hectares, more or less. 
1808


Page 5 of 5 
 
SEC. 3. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity 
of this Act, the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources shall issue 
rules and regulations to implement this Act.  
 
SEC. 4. Separability Clause. – If any section or provision of this Act is held unconstitutional 
or invalid, the remaining sections or provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full 
force and effect. 
 
SEC. 4. Repealing Clause. – All laws, presidential decrees, executive orders, regulations, 
issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, 
amended, or modified accordingly. 
 
SEC. 5. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the 
Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,