Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Robert Nazal is prodding the government to do right by Filipino students and swiftly release the ₱11.7-billion Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF).

Nazal, an assistant minority leader in the 20th Congress, says that further delays in the utilization of the fund undermine support guaranteed by law for Filipino students and state universities.

In a privilege speech delivered at the House of Representatives, Nazal said the issue went beyond budget procedure and struck at the government’s responsibility to ensure that higher education remains accessible to Filipino youth.

“I am standing here today not merely to raise a fiscal concern, but to defend a statutory mandate, one that Congress itself enacted to safeguard the future of the Filipino students,” Nazal said.

He said the continuing uncertainty faced by students and their families highlighted the urgency in releasing the fund.

“This is driven by the silent anxiety of students who do not know if they can enroll next semester, by parents who struggle to keep their children in school, and by state universities and colleges that continue to operate despite delayed government support,” Nazal said.

Nazal noted that the HEDF was created under Republic Act (RA) No. 7722, or the Higher Education Act of 1994, specifically to strengthen higher education in the country.

However, he raised concern that the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) has been following Executive Order (EO) No. 338 in managing the fund, which requires government money to be deposited with the Bureau of the Treasury.

“To emphasize, the HEDF is not covered by EO 338. It is a special statutory fund created by Congress under RA No.7722, with a specific governance structure and a clearly defined administrative framework,” Nazal said.

“Under our constitutional hierarchy of laws, an executive issuance cannot amend, repeal, or supersede an act of Congress,” he added.

Nazal said the fund currently holds about ₱11.7 billion that could support new Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) beneficiaries, even as CHED reportedly owes ₱12.3 billion to state universities and colleges (SUC) under the Free Tuition Fee Law.

“These are not mere accounting figures. These are classrooms without sufficient resources. These are faculty members waiting for institutional support. These are students who cannot afford delays just to finish their studies,” he said.

“That is why I call for the immediate release and the proper utilization of the Higher Education Development Fund strictly in accordance with RA No.7722,” noted Nazal.

“The HEDF must immediately finance new scholarships under the Tertiary Education Subsidy. The arrears to SUCs must likewise be settled immediately,” he underscored.

He also urged Congress to examine why the fund has been subjected to an executive order rather than the statute that created it.

“Ang pondong para sa edukasyon ay para sa edukasyon; hindi para maantala o maisantabi at lalo’t higit, hindi para maipit nang dahil sa maling interpretasyon ng batas. It is for the Filipino students,” Nazal said.

(Funds allocated for education are for education; they must not be delayed or set aside, and above all, must not be held up due to a misinterpretation of the law.)