UP budget cut has no effect on student admissions—DBM chief
By Raymund Antonio and Raymund Antonio
Published Aug 3, 2023 07:05 am
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Amenah Pangandaman on Thursday, Aug. 3, detailed the reasons behind the decrease in budget of the University of the Philippines (UP) system under the 2024 National Expenditure Program (NEP).
(Photo from University of the Philippines Diliman website)
The proposed 2024 NEP showed a decrease of P2.93 billion in UP’s budget—P22.59 billion for 2024 compared to P25.52 billion in the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
This, the budget chief said, was “attributable to the congressional initiatives in the 2023 GAA for various capital outlay projects for infrastructure projects, which are one-time or non-recurring expenditures, hence no longer included in the FY 2024 NEP.”
“The DBM also took into consideration the budget utilization of UP in the previous year (FY 2022) prior to budget allocation in the proposed NEP. Hence, in our review and evaluation of UP’s budget proposals, we considered its absorptive capacity, which is 69.48 percent as of end-2022,” she furthered during a Palace media briefing.
The official also allayed fears that the budget cut will mean a reduction in UP's admission of students.
"Wala po (None)," she said when asked about the possible impact of the lower budget on UP's admission rate.
The NEP is submitted by the DBM to assist Congress in the review and deliberation of the proposed national budget.
This would also aid Congress in appropriating the budget for different government agencies and programs for the next fiscal year.
Pangandaman assured “the education sector shall remain as being the highest budgetary priority of this administration as mandated by the Constitution.”
She added that the education sector has a total proposed budget of P924.7 billion, which is a 3.3 percent increase from its P895.2-billion budget in 2023.
In 2022, the DBM also proposed a P2.5-billion cut on the state university’s budget, which totaled only to a proposed P23.10-billion funding for 2023.
Budget deliberations are expected to begin at the House of Representatives, with the House Committee on Appropriations tackling different budget proposals for government agencies.
DBM submitted the 2024 NEP on Wednesday, Aug. 2, for the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget, the largest in Philippine history.
(Photo from University of the Philippines Diliman website)
The proposed 2024 NEP showed a decrease of P2.93 billion in UP’s budget—P22.59 billion for 2024 compared to P25.52 billion in the 2023 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
This, the budget chief said, was “attributable to the congressional initiatives in the 2023 GAA for various capital outlay projects for infrastructure projects, which are one-time or non-recurring expenditures, hence no longer included in the FY 2024 NEP.”
“The DBM also took into consideration the budget utilization of UP in the previous year (FY 2022) prior to budget allocation in the proposed NEP. Hence, in our review and evaluation of UP’s budget proposals, we considered its absorptive capacity, which is 69.48 percent as of end-2022,” she furthered during a Palace media briefing.
The official also allayed fears that the budget cut will mean a reduction in UP's admission of students.
"Wala po (None)," she said when asked about the possible impact of the lower budget on UP's admission rate.
The NEP is submitted by the DBM to assist Congress in the review and deliberation of the proposed national budget.
This would also aid Congress in appropriating the budget for different government agencies and programs for the next fiscal year.
Pangandaman assured “the education sector shall remain as being the highest budgetary priority of this administration as mandated by the Constitution.”
She added that the education sector has a total proposed budget of P924.7 billion, which is a 3.3 percent increase from its P895.2-billion budget in 2023.
In 2022, the DBM also proposed a P2.5-billion cut on the state university’s budget, which totaled only to a proposed P23.10-billion funding for 2023.
Budget deliberations are expected to begin at the House of Representatives, with the House Committee on Appropriations tackling different budget proposals for government agencies.
DBM submitted the 2024 NEP on Wednesday, Aug. 2, for the proposed P5.768-trillion national budget, the largest in Philippine history.