FACILIILIILITIES UPGRADRADRADE — The Technological University of the Philippines needs to improve its facilities and purchase new equipment to meet industry standards.

MANILA, Philippines — News of an additional P4.2 billion budget for state universities and colleges (SUCs), on top of the total of P26.1 billion SUC budget for the year, may be highly appreciated.

But are the SUCs happy?

Most of the SUCs say this is still not enough and nowhere near its proposed budget, adding that many SUCs will even have substantial budget cuts on its Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) and Personnel Services (PS) particularly in the unfilled plantilla positions.

The total budget given by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) through the Commission on Higher Education, is to be divided unequally among the country’s 112 SUCs. These are already allocated for PS (payment of school administrators, teachers and school staff with plantilla items) and MOOE such as electricity, water, transportation and other utilities.

There is no provision for capital outlay or improvement and upgrade of infrastructure, facilities and procurement of new equipment.

WHAT SUCs WILL BE RECEIVING

The University of the Philippines (UP) proposed a P17 billion budget for 2012 but is getting P5.8 billion under the GAA. A separate P205,000 will come from congressional initiatives and will be used as capital outlay for PGH, and MOOE for the Institute of Aging and the Philippine Collegian. The total budget will be divided among its seven constituent universities, one autonomous college and the Philippine General Hospital.

UP president Dr. Alfredo Pascual says more than one fourth of the UP budget is earmarked for the PGH so only about three quarters is available to the academic side of UP operations. In fiscal year 2011, UP’s GAA budget was at P5,949,619,000 where 89 percent was spent for PS (including retirement and life insurance premium) and 11 percent for MOOE.

On the other hand, the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) was eyeing a P1 billion budget but will only receive P734,783,000 based on the DBM website. Of this, P628,603,000 will be allocated to PS while P106,180,000 will be for MOOE.

Atty. Estelita Wi-De la Rosa, PUP officer-in-charge says the total budget will be equally distributed among its five branches while the 16 other branches and extension are being funded by the local government units.

Technological University of the Philippines (TUP) president Dr. Olympio Caparas, meanwhile, reveals that its P600 million plus proposed budget for 2012 has been slashed into nearly half. They will only be getting P397,342,000, which will be divided among its four campuses in Manila, Taguig, Cavite and Visayas. I In 2011, each campus got P65 million, which is also the cost of its MOOE. The bulk of the budget goes to salaries.

The Philippine Normal University was requesting close to P900 million budget this year for its five campuses in Manila, Quezon, Agusan del Sur, Isabela, and Negros Occidental. PNU president Dr. Ester Ogena says part of the proposed budget was also intended for the rehabilitation of its dormitory hall, other facilities and for instruction. But it will get P284,956,000 of which P235,727,000 will go to PS while P49,229,000 for MOOE.

CREATIVITY AND BELT-TIGHTENING

Due to inadequate budget, SUCs are forced to come up with income-generating activities and cost-cutting measures.

In PUP, Atty. Dela Rosa says they generate revenue from the entrance exams, tuition fees, laboratory, library and sports fees; food concessionaires; rental fees from film companies who use the campus as location; as well as from donations and partnerships with government officials and the private sector.

“Kahit maliit yung tuition (P12.00 per unit or a total of P12,000 per student per schoolyear), dinadaan na lang namin sa dami ng estudyante. We have 60,000 students for all the campuses, and about 30 to 40,000 for the main campus alone. We also think of creative ways like charging a fee of P10.00 for students who want to avail of the WIWIFI service on campus," she says.

Atty. Dela Rosa says she was also able to save money from employees who have been remiss in their duties by cleaning up the ranks. “Yung mga nagpapabaya sa trabaho, naglalakwatsa while on duty, binawasan ko yung night or weekend additional pay nila. Hindi rin lahat ng employees pinapasok ko ng Saturday, alternate sila. So the money we were able to save also went back to them in the form of a 14th month bonus. Parang simple housekeeping lang ‘yan, nanay ako eh. Kailangan tipirin yung budget at mag focus lang sa priorities mo, yung mga hindi kailangan huwag bilin,” she adds.

Dr. Caparas of TUP, on the other hand, admits they are having a hard time managing the GAA budget, particularly in paying for its MOOE.

"We are a technical school and our various equipment are switched on from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., for use of the students who are divided into three shifts. Malaki ang kuryente namin pero nagtitipid kami. But I make sure we don't compromise quality education over our cost-cutting measures," Caparas explains.

Since it lacks budget for upgrade and procurement of new equipment, Caparas says they are forced to limit the number of students they accept each year to 2,000. Its population for TUP Manila alone is 14,820 in the first semester. He adds that an ideal P50,000 budget per student would cover for all their needs including the improvement and procurement of new equipment, and the construction and repair of buildings and facilities. For the meantime, TUP has partnered with a Malaysian firm for the internship of selected students to allow them the opportunity to train using the latest equipment in the industry.

Dr. Ogena of PNU also believes in reducing the intake of students to save money, particularly from the salaries for teacher overload. Because of the huge number of students in campus, the faculty is forced to take three additional loads on top of the regular five loads. The three loads correspond to 75 percent of their income, she explains. Its income generating activities, meanwhile, come from its tuition fees, training programs, dorm fees for students, canteen operations, and fees for licensure reviews.

UP HAS A BIGGER ROLE

UP’s Dr. Pascual, on the other hand, says their income comes mainly from the tuition fees, rentals from land and donations for capital projects such as construction or improvement of buildings and facilities. Twelve percent of its additional income are still spent on PS, 53 percent on MOOE, and 35 percent on capital outlay. Its other priority areas are faculty development (PhD studies), pursuit of research, upgrading of laboratories and academic facilities, and computerization of UP’s operations.

Moreoever, Dr. J. Prospero De Vera III , vice president for UP Public Affairs, says the budget for UP should be treated as an investment not as an expense as every peso given to it produces tangible results. "Being the only university which has a public service role, it is required to provide technical assistance to Congress, the Executive branch as well as to LGUs. UP is also expected to train the people who go into graduate programs as well as other SUCs in various disciplines and that requires a lot of money, laboratories and PhD professionals who will teach the courses."

While they both think that the 2012 GAA budget and the additional budget of P1.3 billion are not enough, Drs. Pascual and De Vera consider the latter a significant boost to its ability to meet pressing needs, and are happy that the government is finding merit in their efforts.