REP. JOSE ‘Pingping’ Tejada of the 3rd District of Cotabato sought the passage of a measure seeking a franchise to allow the University of Southern Mindanao to operate a radio broadcasting network for educational and commercial purposes.

Tejada said that House Bill 8074 aims to grant a legislative franchise to USM to ensure that the university will have an extension platform for its research and development initiatives.

The radio station will also serve as a medium for relevant, reliable and accurate information for the general public.

Currently, USM provides instructions and professional training in the fields of science and tech-nology, particularly agriculture and industry.

The university has 11,000 students, supported by 1,600 faculty across its campuses in key areas of North Cotabato.

“As a state university and a center of higher learning, it is mandated to help accelerate socio-economic development, promote harmony among diverse communities and improve the people’s quality of life through instruction, research, extension and resource generation in the Southern Philippines,” Tejada said in his explanatory note.

The USM put up an FM station in 2006 to help in the formation of a positive and development-oriented atmosphere within its area of coverage.

The radio station also aims to assist the government on information dissemination campaigns and provide a medium for tri-people communities for the expression of their cultural and community identities.

It also serves as a training facility and laboratory for Electronics and Communications Engineering, Development Communications and Information Sciences students to facilitate an experimental learning process and outcome-based education.

Under the bill, the franchise shall be in effect for a period of 25 years.