Altermidya
By KATEBELLE LADLAD and RONJAY MENDIOLA
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Youth groups questioned the reduced budget for capital outlay and maintenance funds for state universities and colleges saying that proper and accessible services and conducive learning facilities remain wanting for students and instructors.
“Although the number of students in the Philippines is growing, the government is not subsidizing schools’ expansion,” said National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) president Jandeil Roperos.
Roperos was among the students who joined the protest action on Aug. 23 before the House of Representatives who decried the reduced budget for SUCs. Based on the proposed 2024 budget, SUCs might incur a P6.16-billion ($108.75 million) cut from P107.04 billion ($1.9 billion) to P100.88 billion ($1.7 billion).
Read: 30 SUCs to suffer budget cuts in 2024
There are 117 state universities and colleges that cater the increasing number of tertiary students yearly. In the case of Bulacan State University, the student population rose from 30,000 in 2016 to 45,000 this 2023.
The Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the largest SUC in terms of student population, had a 15-percent increase with 80,000 students in 2022 compared to 70,000 students in 2021.
According to youth groups, the budget cut can affect face-to-face classes given the already lacking classrooms, facilities and other services.
“This budget cut will worsen retention policy in our college, which reduces slots in quota courses like Bachelor of Science in Accountancy (BSA) every year,” Terrence Tamayosa, PUP College and Accountancy and Finance Student Council President, said.
Youth groups instead asked for more funding for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTE) in the 2024 budget “so that more Filipinos can go to college,” Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel said.
Last August 20, Department of Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno mentioned that the free college tuition is “unsustainable” and “anti-poor.”
“With a cabinet member doubting the sustainability of free higher education and a P6.16-billion drop in SUC funding, it appears that our administration does not prioritize educating our students. If Marcos Jr.’s government truly values it, they should not set aside funding for the education sector,” Manuel stressed.
Meanwhile, Pat Dela Cruz, chairperson of Kasama sa UP (KSUP), criticized the apparent misprioritization of budget by the government, saying that while SUCs are slated to get budget cuts, there are substantial increases in the proposed budgets for the Department of National Defense (21.6 percent) and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (73.3 percent).
Read: Youth groups: Address education crisis, ditch mandatory ROTC
“In fact, SUCs have a 5.75% budget cut, which is quite unjust given that funding has increased, but where does it go? In intelligence funds, travel expenses, and even the ineffective NTF-ELCAC,” said Althea Beatrice Papa, Education and Research officer of Kabataan Partylist. (JJE, DAA)
