SUCs seek P93-billion budget for 2023; CHED’s cut by P1.7 billion

State universities and colleges (SUCs) have proposed to Congress a P93.3-billion budget for 2023, while the proposed budget of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is almost P1.8 billion lower than its current budget.

Based on the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the House of Representatives, the SUCs are eyeing a total of P93,325,348,000 to sustain their operations next year across the 17 regions in the country.

The bulk of the proposed funding was allocated to educational institutions based in the National Capital Region (NCR), including the entire University of the Philippines (UP) System, amounting to P28,357,092,000.

This was followed by the P7.68 billion budget for Central Luzon which houses 12 SUCs—the most of all regions.

Western Visayas, with 11 SUCs, was looking at P7.34 billion, while the ten SUCs in Eastern Visayas shared almost P5.14 billion.

The funding was lowest in the Davao Region which has six SUCs, at P1.69 billion.

UP System

The UP System held most of the proposed budget by SUCs for fiscal year 2023 amounting to P21,853,587,000 in new appropriations to support its programs on higher education, advanced education, research, technical advisory extension, and hospital services.

This was, however, more than a P2.5-billion cut from its 2022 budget of P24,392,029,000.

Among the special provisions cited in the budget document was that a legal research fund shall be used in support of the UP Law Center sourced from 1% of the filing fees collected by courts, as well as agencies or tribunals exercising quasi-judicial functions.

CHED

CHED, on the other hand, may also suffer a budget loss next year with its proposed new appropriations at P29,892,893,000, down from its P31,684,508,000 budget in 2022.

Most of the funding or P29.30 billion was set aside for the Commission’s Higher Education Development Program, while some P457.87 million was for its Higher Education Regulation Program.

In addition to the amount appropriated for the Higher Education Development Fund, a special provision stated that a P799 million will also be used for the CHED’s Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) requirements, sourced from travel tax collections of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority; sales from the lotto operations of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO); and collections of the Professional Regulation Commission.

Another special provision said that the amount appropriated for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education shall be used to cover the cost of tertiary education for all Filipino students enrolled in SUCs, local universities and colleges, and private higher education institutions (HEIs).

P65 million under the provision of assistance and incentives, scholarships, and grants through the Student Financial Assistance Program will also be used as scholarship grants for dependents of sugar industry workers and small farmers.

Meanwhile, a P15-million funding from the development of standards of excellence for higher education programs and institutions will be used in support of the programs and projects under the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Program.

The 1987 Constitution mandates that the education sector, composed of the Department of Education (DepEd), CHED, SUCs, and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), has the highest budgetary priority.

The DBM said the education sector in general is set to receive P852.8 billion for next year. — BM, GMA News