Angara on CHED’s ‘Tulong Dunong’ program budget cut: Budget for free tuition increased anyway

Despite the huge budget cut for the Commission on Higher Education's (CHED) scholarship program, the programmed allocation under the 2019 appropriation for the free tuition law increased thus benefiting more poor students, Senator Sonny Angara said Saturday.

"Ang importante dyan, medyo naalarma tayo nung narinig natin nabawasan ang pondo sa Tulong Dunong, pero tinignan naman natin ang kabuuan ng budget ng CHED ay lumaki naman at ang tertiary education subsidy sa ilalim ng Universal Access for Free Tuition," Angara said in a radio interview.

Commissioner Prospero de Vera III of the Commission on Higher Education said on Tuesday that at least 350,000 students are at risk of losing their state-funded scholarships next year as the allocation for the "Tulong Dunong" program was slashed from P4.19 billion this year to P1.19 billion in 2019.

Under the "Tulong Dunong" program, each student enrolled in either a public or private university as recommended by the local government and local officials will be granted P12,000 worth of financial assistance in a year.

The Department of Budget and Management earlier said that the CHED's budget was rationalized to make way for the implementation of the Free Tuition Law, particularly the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) component of the law which was given an additional P11-billion allocation in the 2019 budget.

The Tertiary Education Subsidy component is allocated P27 billion in the 2019 proposed budget from an appropriation of P16 billion in 2018.

"Mas marami sa hanay ng mahihirap na kababayan nag makakapg avail ng program," Angara said.

"So 'yan ang pakiusap natin sa CHED, 'wag pahirapan sa application, pag maraming requirement natu-turn off, gawing simple dahil 'yan ang intensyon ng batas," he said. — Ted Cordero/MDM, GMA News