September 18, 2024 | 9:58am
MANILA, Philippines — Thirty-nine State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) are calling on Congress to reinstate the P14.481 billion budget cut that threatens to cripple affordable and accessible education in 2025.
On Tuesday, September 17, Kabataan Partylist with the 39 SUCs met with the House appropriations committee to discuss the higher education institutions’ budgets for next year.
Presidents of the SUCs signed a unity statement with the party list to demand the restoration of over a tenth of the SUCs’ 2024 budget.
They also asked lawmakers to augment the budget so higher educational institutions (HEIs) could offer better services for their constituents.
“Additional budget is needed for our learning institutions to regain their public character and provide ample support for student services and faculty development,” the statement read.
Here is the list of SUCs that signed the unity statement:
- University of the Philippines (UP) System
- Philippine Normal University (PNU)
- Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP)
- Technological University of the Philippines (TUP)
- Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU)
- University of Northern Philippines (UNP)
- Apayao State College (ASC)
- Ifugao State University (IFSU)
- Mountain Province State University (MPSU)
- Batanes State College (BSC)
- Cagayan State University (CSU)
- Isabela State University (ISU)
- Batangas State University (BatSU)
- Cavite State University (CvSU)
- Southern Luzon State University (SLSU)
- University of Rizal System (URS)
- Bicol State College of Applied Sciences and Technology (BISCAST)
- Bicol University (BU)
- Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology (DEBESMSCAT)
- Carlos Hilado Memorial State University (CHMSU)
- Northern Iloilo State University (NISU)
- Negros Oriental State University (NORSU)
- Biliran Province State University (BIPSU)
- Leyte Normal University (LNU)
- Southern Leyte State University (SLSU)
- Visayas State University (VSU)
- Western Mindanao State University (WMSU)
- Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University (ZPPSU)
- Central Mindanao University (CMU)
- Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology (NMSCST)
- Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST)
- University of Science and Technology of Southern Philippines (USTP)
- Davao del Norte State College (DNSC)
- University of Southeastern Philippines (USeP)
- Agusan del Sur State College of Agriculture and Technology (ASSCAT)
- Caraga State University (CarSU)
- Cotabato State University (CSU)
- Sulu State College (SSC)
- Mindanao State University (MSU)
While the photos released by Kabataan Partylist only show 38 filled-up rows, the sole youth representation in Congress clarified to Philstar.com that one president has signed for two SUCs they head.
Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic State University’s president Nelson Cabral is also the officer-in-charge of Northwestern Mindanao State College of Science and Technology.
Capital outlay budget slashed
In 2024, Congress allocated around P128.231 billion for 116 SUCs in the country. This was reduced to P113.749 billion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) 2025.
Most of the budget cut was made to the SUCs’ capital outlay, including constructing and improving buildings and equipment.
The executive branch proposed to reduce capital outlay funds by 69.7% in 2025 for SUCs, from P31.503 billion allocated this year to P9.537 billion.
For instance, UP is set to receive only P202.529 million to subsidize infrastructure and equipment in 2025. This represents a 93.5% cut from the P3.097 billion the university received in 2024.
The SUCs find the budget cut ironic after the Marcos administration proposed an increase in the budget for the Free Higher Education Program as a result of the expected rise in tuition fees next year.
The statement also cited perennial problems in many HEIs, such as shrinking academic spaces and inadequate student services, depriving students and teachers of a more conducive learning environment.
“Academic spaces have been shrinking and becoming less conducive, and the services that enable a student to learn unhampered leave more to be desired,” it read.
The 39 signatories also reiterated that “education is a fundamental right that should be accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic status.”
“If our SUCs are expected to carry out their duties as higher education institutions, they must be funded accordingly,” the statement concluded.
The plenary debates for the 2025 budget of SUCs will be held on Wednesday, September 18.
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