Metro Manila SUCs demand budget hike, pay increase, CIF abolition

Various State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) in Metro Manila demanded that the P6 billion budget cut on state universities be reversed and that more funds be allocated to them to address the “crisis” in the education sector.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in a statement on Wednesday, Nov. 15 said students, faculty and staff from the University of the Philippines Diliman and Manila campuses, Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Philippine Normal University, Eulogio Amang Rodriguez Institute of Science and Technology, and Technological University of the Philippines joined the “grand lobbying” for the budget increase in education.

The sectors campaigned to redirect the remaining P9 billion confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to SUCs, emphasizing that the said funds “now face challenges before the Supreme Court.”

“The P6 billion budget cuts on SUCs is a big blow to the operations of our public universities, which, as they were, are already stretched beyond their limits,” said Prof. Carl Marc Ramota, UP Faculty Regent and Chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers- SUCs.

Ramota said the reason why “large number” of SUCs are still not implementing full face-to-face classes is not the threats from the pandemic but because of shortage in classrooms and facilities.

“The government has the money but it chose to prioritize the untransparent and unaccounted CIF over the welfare of our youth and the future of our nation,” Ramota added.

ACT also said teachers and education support personnel from public schools and universities amplified calls to prompt salary increase in 2024, as the salary of the teachers are “now not liveable.”

“Ipinagkakait ang nakabubuhay na sweldo sa mga karaniwang empleyado ng pamahalaan dahil inuuna ang pondo sa panunupil, pambayad-utang at kurakot ng mga nasa poder (The government employees are deprived of liveable salary because the fund for oppression, for paying debts and for corruption of the government officials was put first),” Vladimer Quetua, ACT chairperson said.