Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

Ky
($ RECEIVED

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2493

Introduced by Honorable Dr. Edwin Ledesma Cruzado, M.D.

AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN EXTENSION CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN MINDANAO (USM) IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF PIGCAWAYAN,
PROVINCE OF COTABATO, TO BE KNOWN AS THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN MINDANAO-PIGCAWAYAN CAMPUS, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Access to quality education is a main driving force of sustainable national development. The
Philippine Constitution mandates the State to promote and protect the right of all citizens to
quality education and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all.
However, accessible education provided by State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) is still
limited. In Region XII, only 22% of the A. Y. 2022-2023 higher education enrollees availed of
the SUC educational facilities and other services? Based on the CHED 2023 data, there are
only four SUCs within Region XII and the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) is still
the only SUC available in the province of North Cotabato’ and with only one satellite campus
in Kidapawan City.’ There is a need for opening new satellite campuses within North
Cotabato to address the underlying problem of lack of accessibility and affordable quality
education.

This bill secks to establish an extension campus of the USM in the Municipality of
Pigcawayan, Province of Cotabato, to be known as the University of Southern
Mindanao-Pigcawayan Campus (USM-Pigcawayan Campus). This campus is imperative
considering Pigcawayan’s geographic distance from USM’s main campus, 63 kilometers. As
such, this campus offers access to USM’s top education to constituents of the First District of
Cotabato. USM-Pigcawayan shall offer graduate and undergraduate programs for priority
areas aligned with local and regional development needs, particularly of Cotabato Province
This bill is consonant with the constitutional right of all citizens thuality education and to
make quality education accessible to all

Hon. Dr. Edwin Le\iesma Cruzado, M.D.

* Section 1, Article XIV, 1987 Philippine Constitution

? 2023 Higher Education Facts and Figures, COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION, Available at:
https: .ph/2023-higher-education-f figures! (Accessed: 23 June 2025).

> Ibid.

‘+ Satellite Campuses, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MINDANAO, Available at:
hitos /www usm.edu ph/about-usm/satellite-campuses/ (Accessed: 23 June 2025).

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No, 2493

Introduced by Honorable Dr. Edwin Ledesma Cruzado, M.D.

Representative Ist District of Cotabato

AN ACT ESTABLISHING AN EXTENSION CAMPUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN MINDANAO (USM) IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF PIGCAWAYAN,
PROVINCE OF COTABATO, TO BE KNOWN AS THE UNIVERSITY OF
SOUTHERN MINDANAO-PIGCAWAYAN CAMPUS, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

Section 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the “University of Southern
Mindanao-Pigcawayan Campus Act.”

Section 2. Establishment of Pigcawayan Extension Campus. \t is hereby established an
extension campus of the University of Southern Mindanao (USM) in the Municipality of
Pigcawayan, Province of Cotabato, to be known as the University of Southern
Mindanao-Pigcawayan Campus (USM-Pigcawayan Campus)

Section 3. Mandate. The USM-Pigcawayan Campus shall offer graduate and undergraduate
programs within fields determined by the Board of Regents (BOR) of USM, and other
priority areas aligned with local and regional development needs, particularly of Cotabato
Province. The campus shall also undertake research and extension services and provide
progressive leadership in its areas of specialization

Section 4. Campus Administration. The USM-Pigcawayan Campus shall be headed by a
Campus Administrator who shall render full-time service and shall be appointed or
designated by the BOR of USM upon the recommendation of a search committee and the
University President, subject to the guidelines, qualifications, and standards set by the BOR

Section 5. Compliance with CHED Requirements. The establishment of the
USM-Pigcawayan Campus shall ensure that the minimum requirements for its operation and
program offerings, including faculty qualifications, facilities, and academic standards, are
complied with as prescribed by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No. 2493

Introduced by Honorable Dr. Edwin Ledesma Cruzado, M.D.

Section 6. Post-Enactment Institutional Requirements. In coordination with the main
campus of USM, and within a period of one year after the approval of this Act, the
USM-Pigcawayan Campus shall

(a) Submit a five (5}-year development plan, including its corresponding program
budget, to CHED for appropriate recommendation to the Department of Budget and
Management (DBM);

(b) Undergo a management audit in cooperation with CHED, and

(c) Organize its administrative, academic, and operational structure, including the
appointment or designation of key officials.

Section 7. Governing Law and Applicability of Existing Laws. All relevant laws and
jurisprudence regulating higher education remain applicable to USM-Pigcawayan Campus.
All other powers, functions, privileges, responsibilities, and limitations to state universities
and/or their officials under existing laws shall be deemed granted to or imposed upon the
USM-Pigcawayan Campus and/or its officials whenever and to the extent they are
appropriate.

Section 8. Appropriations. The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act shall
be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

Section 9. Effectivity. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the
Official Gazette or any newspaper of general circulation

Approved,