Lawmaker slams DBM over allegedly low proposed budget for PUP

MANILA — Kamanggagawa party-list Representative Elijah San Fernando on Wednesday slammed the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) over the allegedly low proposed budget for the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP).

Funding for each student will be at just P36,000, according to San Fernando, who cited the PUP’s P3.6 billion 2027 budget under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).


“Sa proposed fiscal year 2027 general appropriations budget, ang PUP ay makakatanggap lamang po ng 3.646 billion total at 2.572 billion nalang kung higher education program allocation ang pag-uusapan… Sa kulang-kulang 100,000 na mga iskolar ng bayan, 36,000 lang ang total funding per student at 25,000 lang ang HEP funding per student…  Ang per student funding ng PUP ay 40 percent below the national average,” San Fernando said.

Pinoy Workers party-list Representative Karl Legazpi, the budget sponsor of State Universities and Colleges, replied that PUP’s tuition is at P12 per unit.

Referring to the DBM, San Fernando asked: “Alam ba nila gaano kaliit ang mga classroom diyan? And if this is happening in PUP, it is also happening elsewhere–in other state universities and colleges.”

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is establishing ways to address gaps in funding, according to Legazpi.


“Mula po sa CHED, ‘yun nga pong P12 per unit na tuition fee na sinisingil po, sila po ay nagkaroon ng formula para maipataas nga po ang kailangang makalap po na pondo para po masagot nga po ‘yung mga kakulangan natin sa pondo at hindi po natin nakukuha mula sa national budget, mula po sa DBM. At sila po ay gumagawa ng paraan para po mas maipalaki po ‘yung allocation para sa PUP,” Legazpi said.

Legazpi added: “Ang commitment naman po na mas mapataas po ang pondong ilalaan po para sa PUP.”

San Fernando challenged DBM Secretary Kim Robert de Leon to visit state universities and colleges (SUCs) and check on their condition if this kind of treatment persists.

“Kung magpapatuloy na ganyan ang kanilang pagtrato sa mga state universities and colleges, this representation is directly challenging the secretary of Department of Budget and Management to go around the Philippines and see for himself the situation of our state universities and colleges,” San Fernando said.