1. The net budget cut for all SUCs (State Universities and Colleges) next year is 600 million pesos
2. The budget for the military has been increased, on the other hand, by 8.5 billion pesos to 104.7 billion
3. The budget for gov’t debt interest payments by 30 billion pesos to 357 billion
4. This is the biggest amount ever set aside by any Phil. gov’t for debt interest payments.
5. The pork barrel for 2011 has been increased from 10 billion to 24 billion pesos.
6. The budget cut for UP, 1.39 billion pesos, is the biggest ever in history.
7. Before that, the record was the 2005 357 million pesos.
8. Percentage-wise, the schools that will receive the worst budget cuts are: PNU (23.59%), Aurora SC of Tech. (22.21%), Cerilles SC (21.95%), UP (20.11%), Univ. of SEast Phils. (20.03%)
9. Amount-wise, the schools that will receive the worst budget cuts are: UP (1.39 B), PNU (91.35 M), Bicol U (88.81 M), Univ. of SEast Phils. (44.39 M), Central Bicol SU of Agriculture (31.65 M).
10. Other schools that will receive additional budget will only do so because of the need to increase teachers’ salaries due to the Salary Standardization Law.
11. In other words, not a single peso is allocated to hire more teachers, build more classrooms, buy new equipment, and repair existing equipment.
source: upd-usc.net
--- This is just sad. I don't understand why the budget for military and debt payments increased more than tenfold, and the pork barrel by more than twice, while the budget for SUCs got trimmed down. Less budget means new teachers won't be hired, etc (refer to number 11 above) and that tuition fees would increase. With a P1.3B budget cut for UP, it is said that tuition fee would reach P100K per semester. And that's just for bracket B, I think. Those from lower brackets would find it hard to enter UP because of the looming tuition fee increase. What's the point of me choosing to study in UP when eventually, my tuition fee would be higher than that of Ateneo's?
I remember reading from somewhere before that they were cutting the budget for SUCs in order for them to be self-sufficient - anyway, these SUCs have the capacity to generate their own revenues. Come on, SUCs are the responsibility of the state (that's why they are called State Universities and Colleges, duh). And to push them into being self-sufficient is just the same as abandoning that responsibility of providing quality but affordable education to its citizens and denying them of this right.
The facilities in UP are lacking --- especially for those in science courses that have to make do with the instruments they currently have. The Chemistry (or was it Biology?) building, that caught fire early in the year is not yet fixed. The Main Library is not even airconditioned so the some/most books you find there are about to crumble. And with low salaries, how can good professors be enticed to teach the iskolar ng bayan?
I am not being an activist, mind you. I hate how people generally perceive UP students as such --- how can we not budge when issues such as this affect us? Especially those coming from low income-earning families, when their shot at quality tertiary education is at stake? There's a protest going on at school, and I think they're marching to Mendiola from UP. I may not be rallying with them but I seriously believe in their cause. STOP THE P1.39 BILLION BUDGET CUT IN UP!