The Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) composed of 113 member schools thanked Speaker Martin Romualdez for their P128.2-billion budget allocation for 2024, which is P27.3-billion higher than what they originally proposed.
In a two-page letter dated Jan. 10, PASUC Dr. Tirso Ronquillo acknowledged the crucial role played by Romualdez in securing additional funds for the SUCs under the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Ronquillo also thanked the House leader for convincing his fellow lawmakers to release some unprogrammed funds to cover tuition costs for school years 2022 and 2023 under the Free Higher Education program.
“We stand united with the Honorable Speaker in his unwavering commitment to prudent allocation of government resources. Your legislative support shall empower the 113 SUCs to deliver meaningful services to the country and its people,” said Ronquillo, the president of Batangas State University.
Romualdez assured PASUC of prioritizing the government’s budget for state-run educational institutions. “This has always been the marching order of our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to make sure that our students are not left behind in this globalized era,” he said.
The P27.3-billion budget increase would benefit at least 1.85 million SUC students, 72,000 faculty and staff, and 50,000 job orders and contractual employees nationwide. Ronquillo said this is enough for their schools to effectively deliver educational services for their students.
Meanwhile, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian noted that a special provision in the 2024 GAA was really intended to address the potential funding deficiencies estimated at P4.1-billion to implement the Free Higher Education program.
This is based on the actual number of enrollees and fees approved by the SUCs’ board of regents or trustees. PASUC projects that 1.8 million students will avail of free higher education benefits this 2024.
Gatchalian previously emphasized the need to address the looming funding shortfall because it would affect the SUCs’ capacity to invest in laboratories, classrooms, and other facilities which, in turn, will affect the delivery of quality education for their students.
“We guaranteed that for this year, we will avoid the lack of funds for college in our State Universities and Colleges, ” said Gatchalian, chairperson of the Senate Basic Education committee. He said it is important to ensure there are enough funds for our SUCs to effectively serve our students.