By Sammy F. Martin
MANILA, (PNA) — More than 20 solons on Friday crossed party lines to call for more funding for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) as they join hands in stopping budget cuts in 79 of 110 in the proposed 2014 General Appropriations Act.
A manifesto of unity circulated in the plenary during the deliberation of SUC budget Friday. The manifesto which was penned by Kabataan Party List Rep. Terry Ridon gained support from lawmakers after they were convinced that SUCs need fund support to retain the quality of education.
“We lawmakers, administrators and concerned members of various sectors, express our strong appeal for a sufficient budget increase for the qualitative functioning of our nation’s SUCs,” the unity statement said.
In the proposed 2014 national budget, SUCs are given an immediately accessible budget of P34.7 billion, “an amount that is not enough based on actual needs of our SUCs as the original request of our 110 state-schools amount over P60 Billion.”
For the next year, the manifesto claimed that a total of 70 SUCs including university systems like the University of the Philippines and the Mindanao State University that will suffer cuts in their budget totaling to P3.3 billion.
“Confronted with these issues, we call on members of Congress to not only restore the P3.3 billion budget removed from 79 of our SUCs but also consider additional funding for all of our state schools by tapping and rechanneling various lump sum allocations in the proposed 2014 budget,” the manifesto further said.
The legislators who manifested their intention to help SUCs were Congressmen Seth Frederick Jalosjos, (Zamboanga del Norte); Carlo Lopez, (Manila); Erico Aristotle Aumentado, (Bohol); Antonio Tinio, (ACT Teacher party list); Lito Atienza, (Buhay party list); Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, (Leyte); Johnny Revilla, (OFW Family party list); Juliette Uy, (Misamis Oriental); Ana Cristina Siquian Go, (Isabela); Maryam Arbison, (Sulu); Jonathan dela Cruz, (ABAKADA party list) and Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora (San Juan).
Representatives Bellaflor Angara-Castillo, (Aurora); Joseller Guiao, (Pampanga); Bai Sandra Sema, (Maguindanao); Noel Villanueva, (Tarlac); Jose Christopher Belmonte, (Quezon City); Edgar Erice, (Caloocan City); Edcel “Grex” Lagman, (Albay); Neri Colmenares, (Bayan Muna party list); Carlos Zarate, (Bayan Muna party list); Gavini Pancho, (Bulacan) and Joselito Mendoza, (Bulacan).
Several SUC presidents also signed the unity statement which is still being circulated up to now and still garnering support. He said he is expecting more signatures of support from his colleagues until they are able to restore the lost budget.
In a press conference, Ridon said he and his colleagues will fight not only for the restoration of the P3.3 billion budget slashed from the 79 SUCs but also for a significant increase in the budget of the country’s 110 SUCs.