Tinukoy ni House Deputy Minority Leader at ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio ang P5.32 bilyong kakulangan sa pondo para sa free higher education sa mga State Universities and Colleges (SUCs).
Batay sa datos mula sa Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) at Commission on Higher Education (CHED), sinabi ni Tinio na nahaharap ang mga SUC sa P2.048 bilyong kakulangan para sa free higher education ngayong 2026 at P2.766 bilyong kakulangan para sa 2027, o kabuuang P5.321 bilyong kakulangan.
“Last year, we scored a major victory when Congress added P12.3 billion to pay the government’s debt to SUCs for free higher education from 2022 to 2025. And yet here we are again — the deficiency has resurfaced for 2026 and is already projected for 2027,” sabi ni Tinio.
“Every peso of deficiency means fewer slots, fewer resources, and fewer chances for poor Filipino youth who rely on free college education in our state universities,” dagdag pa ng solon.
Sinabi ni Tinio na 58 sa 113 SUC sa bansa ang makararanas ng bawas sa Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) sa 2027.
“There is no justification whatsoever to reduce SUCs’ MOOE. The DBM claims that they have low utilization rates — but this administration’s own Local Government Support Fund, worth over P56 billion, has a utilization rate of only 7%, and they still want to increase this LGU pork. Education is cut, while presidential pork is fattened,” giit ng mambabatas.
Kabilang sa makararanas ng bawas sa MOOE ang University of the Philippines (P1.9 bilyon), Eastern Samar State University (P66 milyon), West Visayas State University (P50 milyon), Rizal Technological University (P39 milyon), Bicol University (P32 milyon), at Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (P20 milyon).
Dagdag pa ni Tinio, 12 SUC ang nakatanggap ng zero capital outlay (CO), habang 25 SUC ang walang inilaan na pondo para sa imprastraktura sa susunod na taon.
Nagpahayag din si Tinio ng pangamba sa 55,000 job order (JO) at contract-of-service (COS) workers sa mga SUC, kabilang ang mahigit 26,000 teaching personnel.
“Enrollment has boomed because higher education became free, so naturally, we need more teachers. But the government refuses to create new plantilla items, so 26,000 of our faculty remain job order and contractual workers. This is a gross injustice. We won 9,000 new items in 2016; a decade later, it is high time we do it again,” sabi ni Tinio.
Tinukoy din ni Tinio ang disparity sa sahod ng entry-level college faculty. Paliwanag nito ang posisyong Instructor I ay nangangailangan ng master’s degree ngunit nasa Salary Grade 12 o P33,947 kada buwan lamang ang sahod, mahigit P10,000 na mas mababa kumpara sa ibang posisyon sa gobyerno na nangangailangan ng parehong kwalipikasyon.
“An Instructor I in our SUCs must have a master’s degree, yet earns Salary Grade 12. A registered nurse without an MA in a government hospital gets SG 15 (P42,178)— but a nurse with a master’s degree who teaches nursing in an SUC gets SG 12. This is indefensible!” punto ni Tinio.
Mas mataas naman sa suweldo ng Instructor I ang ibang posisyon na nangangailangan ng MA gaya ng Guidance Counselor (SG 16, P45,694), Master Teacher I (SG 18,, P53,818), at Assistant Professor sa UP (SG 18, P53,818).
“To the CHED, Civil Service Commission, DBM, and Congress—we have to correct this injustice now,” sabi ng mambabatas.
Ipinaliwanag ni Tinio na ang pagtataas ng basic salary ng Instructor I sa SG 16 o P45,694 kada buwan ay dapat bigyang prayoridad.
“Let’s give our SUC faculty the salaries they deserve. They worked hard for their professional qualifications, so the government must give them the commensurate pay,” dagdag pa ni Tinio. (Billy Begas)
