Alan Cayetano asks colleagues to support call for UPCAT resumption

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Monday asked his colleagues to support his call for the resumption of the University  of the Philippines College Admission Test (UPCAT), to get the country's "best of the bests."

“Kapag walang UPCAT, dalawa ang biktima dito, 'yung bata and 'yung university [If there is no UPCAT, there will be two victims: the students and the university]. Why? Because UP gets 23.41% of the budget of all the state universities," Cayetano said in a manifestation during the Senate session Monday.

"Almost one fourth of their budget goes to UP, meaning greater funds, greater power, greater responsibility. Hindi pwede ang petik-petik diyan at hindi na pwedeng hindi mag-UPCAT...[Being complacent and not having the UPCAT are unacceptable]. This is so urgent,” he added.

Cayetano cited as an example the case of the Philippine Science High School system, which has 12 campuses across the country.

"During the administration of UPCAT, they have 97 to 99 percent or almost a hundred percent passing. Nung nawala ang UPCAT, only 60.55 percent ang pumapasa [Without UPCAT, only 60.55 percent passed],” the senator said.

“Two years na 'to. Many science high schools around the country are complaining that the best of the best are not getting in kasi mali ang sistema [because the system is wrong],” he added.

UP suspended the UPCAT in 2020 due to the "immense logistical challenge" of administering the exam in a pandemic.

Without an admission exam, students are assessed on their high school performance.

As a graduate of UP himself, Cayetano said he is "resisting the temptation" to slash the budget of the country's top university as he noted that it was given sufficient funding for the conduct of the entrance examination.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is also an alumnus of UP, said he prefers conducting the college admission test as it is more "objective."

"The best is to go through an examination similar to UPCAT and from the grades, results, examinations especially if you are [applying for] a quota course, they will get the top of those applying for those quota course...It will be more objective that way," the Senate president said.

GMA News Online has sought comment from UP Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia.

Cayetano recently filed a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate to strongly urge the University of the Philippines to resume the UP College Admission Test (UPCAT) for Academic year 2023-2024 and admit "only the best and the most deserving" high school graduates through a more holistic admissions process.

Over the weekend, the UP announced that it will still not be conducting its entrance examination for student applicants for the academic year 2023-2024. — BM, GMA News