ALIN : ASIA LEGAL INFORMATION NETWORK

Address :

Main Campus: Academic Complex, Mindanao State University, Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Philippines. Tel N0. (063) 492-3420. Fax No. (063)224-8659

Extension Campuses: Iligan Extension Campus: College of Arts and Social Sciences, MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology, Andres Bonifacio Avenue, Iligan City, Tel No. +63 (063) 492 1173

General Santos City Extension Campus: Mindanao State University - General Santos City, General Santos City

Mindanao State University

     Mindanao State University (MSU) was established on September 1, 1961 through RA 1387, as amended, was the brain child of the late Senator Domocao A. Alonto, as one of the government’s responses to the so-called “Mindanao Problem.” 

     The original mission of the university was anchored on instruction, research and extension. The 1954 Congressional Committee conceptualized it as a social laboratory for national integration.

     For the main campus in Marawi City starting with 282 students and 12 faculty members in its pioneering classes in 1962, it has grown to a multi-campus supra-regional university system, serving over 69,000 students in all levels with nearly 3,100 faculty members.

     The locales of the University campuses are vibrant, which makes Mindanao State University System (MSUS) a distinctive university and special place for any students. It is also the only university directly charged by the government to advance the cause of national unity and actively pursue integration through education. This makes MSU a “Peace University.”

     Today, MSU has various units in strategic areas, making it the biggest state university in the Philippines, which cut across the Mindanao regions. From a one campus university in Marawi City, MSU has grown to a multi-campus university of eight autonomous campuses, which include: MSU-Main in Marawi City, MSU-IIT in Iligan City, MSU-TCTO in Tawi-Tawi, MSU-Naawan in Misamis Oriental, MSU-Maguindanao, MSU-General Santos, MSU-Sulu in Jolo and MSU Buug in Zamboanga Sibugay.

     In addition, three (3) former CHED- Supervised Institutions (CSIS) of higher learning are now considered integrated campuses into the MSU System, namely: Lanao National College of Arts and Trade (LNCAT), Lanao Norte Agricultural College (LNAC) and Maigo School of Arts and Trade (MSAT).

Charter Mandate of MSU

     As enshrined in its Charter (RA 1387), MSU was established in Marawi City on September 1, 1961 to achieve the following objectives:

• Educate the youth of Mindanao, Sulu and Palawan (MINSUPALA) by offering degree programs in various fields of learning;

• Support businesses and industries in the region by providing their manpower requirements; and

• Integrate the Muslims and the other cultural minorities into the mainstream of national life.

Nature and Features of MSU

• MSU is an affirmative action policy instrument for the multiculturalist integration of the Muslims and other cultural minorities into the mainstream of national life;

• MSU is a policy instrument to capacitate the Muslims and other minority cultural communities to catch up with the more advanced regions in the country;

• MSU has a peace building mandate, with most of its campuses located in conflict- affected areas in Mindanao. MSU campuses are expected to compete with MILF, MNLF and ASG camps in attracting young Muslims. Moreover, being in key areas of conflict, some of MSU campuses (especially MSU-Marawi) require adequate number of security personnel; and

• Most MSU campuses are residential universities entailing huge maintenance and operating expenses. Aside from their big number of academic and administrative buildings, many MSU campuses have student dormitories, faculty and staff cottages, and huge land areas.

THE MSU COLLEGE OF LAW

     Although the College of Law was one of the colleges mandated by the Charter of the University, it was only established by the Board of Regents on March 6, 1981. The College of Law has only one degree program, that is, Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), which is the usual degree program in law school across the Philippines. But MSU Law is unique in the Philippines because it is the only law school that offers Shari’ah or Islamic laws. Thus, MSU Law graduates can either be a Regular Member of the Bar by passing the Philippine Bar or be a Shari’ah Counselor by passing the Special Shari’ah Bar Exam.

     Since its establishment, MSU Law has already produced great number of lawyers, including Bar Topnotchers, dominating the judiciary, prosecution, public attorney and private office in almost all part of Mindanao. And in the 2016 Bar, MSU Law recorded its highest number passers with a total passers of 94 lawyers. Prof. Alizedney M. Ditucalan is the incumbent dean. He is the 6th elected dean and the 2nd MSU Law alumnus to be elected dean. He served for more than one year as Acting Dean before he was elected by the Board of Regents on July 6, 2018.

Extension Classes

      The College of Law was initially offered only in the Main Campus in Marawi City. As the demand for legal education increases, two extensions were opened in two of the major autonomous campuses of Mindanao State University.

1. Iligan Extension at MSU-IIT

     The first Extension Campus was established in Iligan City for northern Mindanao. The Extension is currently being hosted by the Mindanao State University – Iligan Institute of Technology, the flagship campus of MSU. MSU-IIT is one of the top universities in the Philippines, as ranked by the Commission on Higher Education, for its reputation as the leading institution of higher learning in Mindanao, and perhaps in the Visayas, as well. To date, the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has designated a total of seven Centers of Excellence (COE) and 11 Centers of Development (COD) for MSU-IIT.

     MSU-IITwebsite: www.msuiit.edu.ph

2. General Santos Extension at MSU General Santos City

     Another Extension was opened to cater for the needs of the constituents of south-central Mindanao at Mindanao State University- General Santos City (MSU-GSC). MSU-GSC is known as the home of The Extension is known as “Home of Board Topnotchers.”

     MSU-GSC website: www.msugensan.edu.ph

Mindanao Law Institute

     Just recently, the Board of Regents approved the creation of Mindanao Law Institute to further strengthen the mandate of MSU Law. The MLI is a center of innovation, collaboration, research and extension of the College of Law. The MLI reinforces the mandate of MSU as social laboratory. It will make MSU more engaged and relevant in the discourse and formulation of national policies and laws. It serves also an avenue for research among legal scholars in Mindanao.

MSU Law and Beyond

     The passage now of the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which will abolish the present autonomous government in Muslim Mindanao, MSU Law will play a vital role in the development of Shari’ah or Islamic law with the expansion of the jurisdiction of Shari’ah courts. This will make MSU Law even more vital in the discourse of the interactions and tensions of our mixed legal system. For comparative law scholars, the new Bangsamoro Region is an interesting laboratory, for example, of the interactions and tensions of civil law, tribal and customary law, and Shari’ah.