We will not be silent.
Hidden behind a touted net increase in the budget for state universities and colleges is possibly the largest budget cut under President Aquino's administration on the University of the Philippines. As the House of Representatives prepares to debate the 2014 general appropriations bill on the floor next week, the proposed item for UP is pegged at P8,098,325,000, or P1.43 billion less than the P9.53 billion allocated for this year.
The main budget component affected is capital outlay, which is used for the acquisition of fixed assets such as buildings and other facilities. This year, the executive has proposed to give UP zero capital outlay, even as the Board of Regents proposed P1.91 billion in additional funding requirements for the component out of its total proposed P17.1 billion for 2014.
The budget cut comes in the midst of the pork barrel scam, amounting to P10 billion lost to private pockets and a total of P25.2 billion for next year's Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF. Thus, there can be no excuse for austerity or cost-cutting from the executive. If the President insists on thrift in the cases of UP and other state universities, then why the willingness to spend more than three times UP's allocation on a discretionary, lump sum item as congressional pork? Why is it so difficult to spend on UP and other SUCs while it seems so easy to disburse pork funds to unchecked projects and bogus NGOs?
We cannot let this pass. While the aggregate budget for education and SUCs increased, UP must not be left behind. Indeed, our experience this year, more than any other year, only proves with greater certainty how crucial government subsidy is for the University. If only UP were fully funded by the State, the administration would not have been ridiculously stringent in enforcing its policies on payment and Kristel would have been saved from her ordeal.
Hidden behind a touted net increase in the budget for state universities and colleges is possibly the largest budget cut under President Aquino's administration on the University of the Philippines. As the House of Representatives prepares to debate the 2014 general appropriations bill on the floor next week, the proposed item for UP is pegged at P8,098,325,000, or P1.43 billion less than the P9.53 billion allocated for this year.
The main budget component affected is capital outlay, which is used for the acquisition of fixed assets such as buildings and other facilities. This year, the executive has proposed to give UP zero capital outlay, even as the Board of Regents proposed P1.91 billion in additional funding requirements for the component out of its total proposed P17.1 billion for 2014.
The budget cut comes in the midst of the pork barrel scam, amounting to P10 billion lost to private pockets and a total of P25.2 billion for next year's Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF. Thus, there can be no excuse for austerity or cost-cutting from the executive. If the President insists on thrift in the cases of UP and other state universities, then why the willingness to spend more than three times UP's allocation on a discretionary, lump sum item as congressional pork? Why is it so difficult to spend on UP and other SUCs while it seems so easy to disburse pork funds to unchecked projects and bogus NGOs?
We cannot let this pass. While the aggregate budget for education and SUCs increased, UP must not be left behind. Indeed, our experience this year, more than any other year, only proves with greater certainty how crucial government subsidy is for the University. If only UP were fully funded by the State, the administration would not have been ridiculously stringent in enforcing its policies on payment and Kristel would have been saved from her ordeal.
In the coming weeks, the UP community must unite to protest against the P1.43 billion budget cut. We have done this in the past and have earned substantial victories for doing so. After a series of marches, demonstrations, and direct negotiations with CHED and members of Congress, we succeeded in securing an increase of almost P4 billion for this year's budget.
We will sustain our victory. On September 18, Wednesday, we will march as one UP around Diliman's Academic Oval and troop to the House of Representatives to claim what is ours - our right to education. We will not be silent.
UP, Unite against the Budget Cut!
UP, Unite against the Budget Cut!
Ituloy ang napagtagumpayan - para sa UP, para sa Bayan!
