Binay to SUC students: Brace for higher tuition next year

MANILA, Philippines - Students of state universities and colleges (SUCs) should brace for higher tuition and other school fees next year because of the Aquino administration’s Roadmap for Public Higher Education Reform (RPHER) program, a spokesman for Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.

Joey Salgado, media affairs chief of the Office of the Vice President, said the RPHER aims to “rationalize state funding” to SUCs by asking them to generate more income and lessen their reliance on government funding.

According to Salgado, there are 22 leading SUCs that are expected to shoulder 50 percent of their budget by 2016 under the RPHER.

“Give less than what is needed or proposed is the working mantra of this education blueprint.  This is what the True State of the Nation Address is, ‘bahala kayo sa buhay ninyo’ (you look out for yourselves),” he said in a statement.

Salgado also slammed the Aquino administration for continuously misleading the public that there are no budget cuts for SUCs.

Both the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Department of Budget and Management earlier denied slashing the budget of SUCs.

But during a congressional hearing of the House appropriations committee, it was found that the administration would cut the maintenance and other operating expenses and capital outlay of 59 SUCs by P477.8 million.

“No matter how you try to hide the truth, it would still come out… This administration is passing its responsibility to the poor. Isn’t this an insensitive and inept type of policy?” Salgado said.

Salgado also slammed the allies of the administration for treating the funds for education as their own pork barrel, following reports that congressmen could still recommend CHED scholars for their provinces.

The CHED’s “Tulong Dunong” is just being used to hide the pork barrel funds of lawmakers, he added.