The House of Representatives and the Senate have agreed to allocate an additional P12.3 billion to state universities and colleges (SUCs) next year, enabling the implementation of the Free Higher Education Act.
“I think education is worth prioritizing,” said Batangas First District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste, vice chairperson of the House Committee on Appropriations.
The 32-year-old lawmaker said the budget deficit of SUCs will be funded in the 2026 budget, with P7.82 billion sourced from the Higher Education Development Fund of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the remaining P4.49 billion provided by Congress through the General Appropriations Bill.
Senate Finance Committee chairperson Sherwin Gatchalian also confirmed the Senate’s support for increasing SUCs’ 2026 budget to fund the implementation of the Free Higher Education Act, according to Leviste.
In his presentation to Congress, Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) President Dr. Tirso Ronquillo cited a P12.3 billion funding shortfall for SUCs until 2025, and an estimated additional P3.5 billion will be needed to support the expected increase in student enrollment in 2026.
Due to limited funding provided for the Free Higher Education Act, PASUC stated that an estimated 200,000 qualified students were deprived of the opportunity to study in SUCs.
