MANILA, Sept. 2 (PNA) — Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Florencio Abad said the budget for the State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) had a net increase of P5.2 billion from P38 billion in 2014 to P43.3 billion in 2015, dismissing criticisms that the SUCs had their budget cut in the proposed 2015 National Budget.
Responding as well to allegations that the Aquino Administration has not been giving the SUCs their due since 2010, Abad noted that the budget allotment for the country’s tertiary education institutions has steadily risen by half since then.
“These misleading pronouncements are just a rehash of last year’s concerns on education budget cuts and they’ve already been disproven. The budget of SUCs has been increasing year-on-year, from P23.8 billion in 2010 to P43.3 billion in 2015,” he said.
“In developing the 2015 budget for the SUCs, the requests of each school have to be considered in conjunction with the requirements of the national government’s Normative Funding Formula,” the Budget Secretary explained.
The Normative Funding Formula follows a set of prescribed objective criteria and norms to realize an enhanced procedure in the distribution of government funds. This formula is also in line with the Aquino Administration’s Higher Education Reform Roadmap, which aims to further improve the quality of the country’s tertiary education system through the provision of key services and facilities.
“Education is and will always be a top priority of the Aquino Administration. The Department of Education has the biggest budget allocation in the proposed 2015 national budget with P364.96 billion,” Abad said.
He added that: “The government’s 2015 National Expenditure Program allocates 37.1 percent of the budget to social protection and welfare services, which includes the provision of basic education. Under this commitment, we are strengthening our K-12 Program, building new classrooms and schools, and hiring more teachers.” (PNA)