Manila Bulletin
Philippines
National
Commitment to fully pay P12.3-B debt to SUCs hailed by majority, minority solons
Philippines
National
Commitment to fully pay P12.3-B debt to SUCs hailed by majority, minority solons
Commitment to fully pay P12.3-B debt to SUCs hailed by majority, minority solons
Published Sep 26, 2025 02:28 pm
At A Glance
- Majority and minority congressmen have hailed the House of Representatives commitment to fully pay the P12.3 billion owed to state universities and colleges (SUCs) for the implementation of the Republic Act (RA) No.10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
The House of Representatives (PPAB)
Majority and minority congressmen have hailed the House of Representatives commitment to fully pay the P12.3 billion owed to state universities and colleges (SUCs) for the implementation of the Republic Act (RA) No.10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.
In the marathon plenary budget debates on the proposed 2026 national budget, it was agreed that P7.82 billion will be released by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) from the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF), while the remaining ₱4.49 billion will be covered through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) to be introduced during the period of amendments.
The decision, reached at past midnight Friday, Sept. 26, ensures that the total funding gap will be completely addressed, with a clear commitment that all deficiencies will be settled by fiscal year 2026. Additional allocations, including more than ₱9 billion for the Tertiary Education Subsidy and other assistance programs, were also assured during the deliberations on the P6.793-trillion General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2026.
The GAB, once signed by the President, becomes the GAA or enacted budget.
“I commend the leadership of Congress and CHEd for ensuring that the ₱12.3 billion deficit will now be fully funded. This is a victory for our SUCs and our students. But beyond immediate relief, we must fix the root of the problem. SUCs should not be penalized for growing enrollment when the law itself anticipated such growth and provided a lawful framework for appropriations,” majority member Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre said.
Acidre chairs the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education in current 20th Congress.
Deputy Minority Leader ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio was equally elated by this commitment to fully resolve the P12.3-billion deficiency, which cover 124 SUCs.
"Kailangan talagang suportahan nang buo ng national government ang pangako ng libreng edukasyon sa kolehiyo, unang-una sa mga [SUCs] (The national government must reallly give full support to free college education, first and foremost in SUCs)," Tinio emphasized.
He noted that the deficiency had accumulated since 2022 and must be settled to ensure continued free higher education.
"Through our interpellation, we confirmed that P7 billion from HEDF can be allocated for payment of deficiencies. Subsequently, Committee on Appropriations chair [Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep] Mika Suansing assured that the remainder would be appropriated by Congress," Tinio explained.
"This will provide all SUCs nationwide a much-needed infusion to address worsening conditions due to underfunding," he said.
'Big win'
Another minority bloc solon, Bukidnon 3rd district Rep. Audrey Tan Zubiri, called the commitment a "big win".
“This is not just about numbers — it’s about the futures of millions of young Filipinos. We cannot allow our SUCs to struggle with deficits while they are tasked with educating the next generation of leaders, workers, and innovators,” said Rep. Zubiri, wife of Senator Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri.
“We’re proud to say goodbye to those deficits, and hello to sustained, quality, and free education for all!” she added.
Also thanking the lawmakers' efforts in bringing the gap was Assistant Majority Leader Negros Occidental 3rd Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" Benitez. He described the development as "very good news to the Filipino youth and to the education sector".
"Salamat sa malasakit at pamumuno nina Chair Mika Suansing, Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, at CHEd Chairperson Dr. Shirley Agrupis... isang panalo para sa kabataan at edukasyon! ," he wrote on his Facebook.
(Thanks to the compassion and leadership of Chair Mika Suansing, Majority Leader Sandro Marcos, and CHEd Chairperson Dr. Shirley Agrupis... this is a victory for the youth and education.)
During the deliberations, Suansing told the CHEd family of officials: "All of our colleagues here in the House are under one heart, that we all want to provide this amount to the [SUCs] in order to aid their operations."
"So all of these po will be funneled to CHEd in order to ensure that our Filipino youth will have access to quality education and will be able to graduate college...We want to assure all of our university presidents, all of our university and college officials na nandito po, ang inyong Kongreso, lagi po kaming nakikinig sa inyong mga pangangailangan at mas mahalaga po, gusto po naming tugunan ang lahat ng mga pangangailangan ng ating mga paaaralan at ng ating mga estudyante," she said.
(We, your Congress, are here, always listening to your needs, and more importantly, we want to address all the needs of our schools and our students.)
Speaking on behalf of the entire minority bloc, Minority Leader 4Ps Party-list Rep. Marcelino Libanan said: "Kami po lahat sa minority ay nagpapasalamat na sasagutin na lahat ng deficit na more than P12 billion sa lahat ng mga SUCs. At dahil po dito, pwede na po tayong matulog ngayong gabi."
(We in the minority are thankful that the more than P12-billion deficit to SUCs will be paid. And because of this, we will can now sleep tonight.)