36 SUCs appeal to Congress to restore P6-B cut in 2024 budget

Several state universities and colleges (SUCs) urged lawmakers to restore the P6 billion slashed from their proposed budget for next year and instead further augment the Higher Education budget. 

Kabataan party-list Representative Raoul Manuel said that 36 SUC presidents and officials signed a unity statement calling for the augmentation of allocation for the SUCs for fiscal year 2024.

Under the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP), 30 SUCs suffered budget cuts, amounting to a P6,155,499,000 decrease in the P100,882,313,000 total budget of SUCs.

This amount was 5.75% lower than the SUCs’ budget of P107,037,812,000 this year.

“Majority of these cuts were focused on budgets for Capital Outlay, which includes facilities, equipment, and other investments that will serve these institutions for periods longer than the next fiscal year,” the SUCs said in a statement.

The SUCs argued that an additional budget is needed for learning institutions to “regain their public character and provide ample support for student services and faculty development.”

“If our state universities and colleges are to be expected to do their duties, they must be funded accordingly,” they said.

Among the signatories were heads from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Philippine Normal University, Technological University of the Philippines, Central Luzon State University, Cavite State University, Davao del Sur State College, Caraga State University, Mariano Marcos State University, President, Samar State University, Palawan State University, Mindanao State University - Sulu, Batangas State University, and President Ramon Magsaysay State University.

Manuel, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics degree in UP Visayas which is an SUC, encouraged more SUCs, students, parents, and members of the community to stand up for the education of our youth.

“Pinasasalamatan at pinagpupugayan po natin ang ating SUC Presidents sa pagtindig para sa karapatan ng higit 2.1 milyong iskolar ng bayan sa libre at de kalidad na edukasyon,” he said.

(We thank and salute our SUC Presidents for standing up for the rights of more than 2.1 million scholars to free and quality education.)

The Makabayan bloc of lawmakers on Friday filed a resolution urging the House Committee on Appropriations to return the amount slashed in the total allocated budget for 2024 for SUCs. —KG, GMA Integrated News