Lawmakers seek SUCs budget increase

MANILA, Philippines - Administration and opposition lawmakers have called on Malacañang to increase the budgets of state universities and colleges (SUCs) that were granted a total of only P43.3 billion for 2015.

Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon spearheaded the circulation of a “unity statement” in the House of Representatives, which is currently deliberating on the proposed P2.60-trillion national budget for next year.

Among the signatories were Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, chairman of the House committee on higher and technical education, and Reps. Lino Cayetano (Taguig City), Florencio Flores (Bukidnon), Philip Pichay (Surigao del Sur), Aleta Suarez (Quezon), Emil Ong (Northern Samar), Gina De Venecia (Pangasinan), Jose Tejada (North Cotabato), Jose Zubiri (Bukidnon), Carol Lopez (YACAP party-list), Fernando Hicap (Anakpawis party-list), Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers party-list), Emmerenciana de Jesus (Gabriela party-list), Leah Paquiz (Ang Nars party-list), Silvestre Bello III (1-BAP party-list), Lito Atienza (Buhay party-list), Jonathan de la Cruz (ABAKADA party-list), Carlos Isagani Zarate and Neri Colmenares (Bayan Muna party-list).

“We believe that higher education is an instrument of empowerment and thus contributory for national development. Higher education serves a public and social purpose. Contrary to current market-driven economic policies, higher education is a public good and should not be left vulnerable to free market forces and commercial interests,” the joint statement said.

“We thus affirm that education, at all levels, is a right of every Filipino. It is imperative for the government to provide higher education to its citizens. A crucial part of this government responsibility is the maintenance and improvement of the quality and accessibility of public higher education through sufficient funding,” it said.

They said the P43.3 billion budget for the 110 SUCs was not enough as it is only about a third of the institutions’ original request of P122.7 billion to the Department of Budget and Management

“In simple terms, this means that for every three-peso funding requirement of our state schools, the government will only fund one peso,” the lawmakers said.

“For years, our students and constituents have called for greater state funding for education. Yet, a nominal increase, such as what we see in the 2015 budget, hardly suffices. What our state schools need is a substantial increase – an additional budget that could match their actual funding requirement,” they said.

The lawmakers asked the House committee on appropriations to augment the funding for SUCs before the chamber approves the proposed national budget on third and final reading next month.

Ridon said several SUCs are not receiving the funding they badly need. Data from DBM shows that most SUCs, including the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), receive only half of their total funding requirement.

UP passed a budget proposal amounting to P25 billion, yet DBM approved for inclusion in the 2015 NEP some P12.6 billion. PUP, meanwhile, asked for a P2.15 billion budget, but the budget department only approved P1 billion.

Among SUCs in Metro Manila, the Philippine Normal University (PNU) is set to receive the lowest percentage of their actual budgetary need. PNU submitted an original P3 billion budget, but DBM only approved P569 million, or just 18.6 percent.