Marcos vetoes measure declaring PUP as National Polytechnic University

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has vetoed the measure strengthening the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and declaring it as the National Polytechnic University.

This was reported Friday by Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro during a press briefing in Malacañang.

''Ang sinasabi pong bill ay na-veto ng Pangulo dahil nagkaroon po ng direktiba noon pa po ng 2016 na dapat magkaroon ng assessment. At sa ngayon po, lumalabas na hindi po nagkaroon ng compliance para sa assessment ng nasabing paaralan,'' Castro said.

''At mananatili naman po ang Pangulo at umaasa siya na ang PUP po ay magkakaroon din po ng national university status kapag po na-comply po nila lahat ng mga requirements,'' she added.

Castro did not disclose the reason why PUP had failed to comply with the needed requirements. 

The proposed Revised Polytechnic University of the Philippines Charter aims to extend support to other polytechnic state universities and colleges in the country “in the development and delivery of professional and technical programs.”

As the National Polytechnic University, the PUP shall primarily offer higher occupational, technical, and professional instruction and training programs in the fields of engineering and architecture, applied sciences as well as other polytechnic programs.

The PUP Faculty Regent and the Bukluran ng mga Designees at Guro sa PUP (Buklod Guro PUP), for its part, expressed deep concern on the veto of the President against the National Polytechnic University Bill.

''While we are saddened by the decision of President Marcos Jr., because of the efforts that the PUP community has invested in this campaign through the years, we should move forward in addressing the shortcomings or weaknesses that the Philippine Executive Department has mentioned,'' the group said in a statement.

''We should learn from this experience and that the lessons should compel us, the whole PUP community, to aspire and fight for genuine institutional and fiscal autonomy,'' it added.

The group further noted that the twin autonomy would serve as the bedrock of academic freedom. 

''Institutional autonomy will ensure the independence and protection from external control and influence, and encourage democratic participation of stakeholders of the University, faculty, students, employees, and the administration,'' it said.

In a statement, PUP said several of its campuses now face imminent closure due to the lack of national government funding, a support that would have been secured if the bill was signed into law.

"This decision is not merely a legislative setback—it is a rejection of the urgent call to expand access to quality, inclusive, and relevant public higher education. It threatens the future of our University, our campuses, and the communities we serve," it said.

PUP said it is the second time that its bid to be recognized as a National Polytechnic University has been vetoed.

"We have spent years rigorously justifying our eligibility for the NPU status and the proposed P100 million annual support for five years...Denying PUP this support will have real and immediate consequences," it said. 

In a statement, Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri said he was “disheartened” by Marcos’ veto of the bill.

“I am disheartened to learn that our measure, the Revised Charter of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), has been vetoed by Malacañang,” he said.

“We have been fighting for a long time to have the PUP be upgraded and institutionalized as our National Polytechnic University, which would have granted them fiscal and academic autonomy and allowed them to provide a higher standard of tertiary education to the Filipino youth,” Zubiri added.

Zubiri said they had worked out to remove the objectionable provisions after it was vetoed in the 17th Congress, and that the opposition could have been ironed out with the Commission on Higher Education before the “unfortunate veto.”  — with Jamil Santos/VDV/AOL/VBL, GMA Integrated News