Ched urged to grant P50M for MUST

THE Regional Development Council (RDC) Advisory Committee passed a resolution reiterating a request to the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) to grant an allocation of P50 million for the Mindanao University of Science and Technology (MUST).

Representative Rufus B. Rodriguez (2nd district, Cagayan de Oro), lead convenor of the RDC Advisory Committee, said that since 2010 up to now, Ched has no recommended allocation for MUST.

Because of this, Rodriguez said no release can be made by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

The MUST, then named Mindanao Polytechnic State College, was converted into a university on January 7, 2009. Along with the conversion was the inclusion and approval of an appropriation of P50 million.

Rodriguez said Republic Act 9519, or the Higher Education Act of 1994, provides the appropriated amount of P50 million per year for a period of five years to MUST in addition to the regular appropriations and increases for the university under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) to commence in the year after the approval of the act.

He said the funds will be used in support of the reform agenda for public higher education.

Starting 2010, MUST has included in its proposed annual budget the fund where it was favorably supported and endorsed both by the RDC and the RDC-Advisory Committee.

However, Rodriguez said there was no allocation recommended by Ched thus there was also no appropriation in the 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013.

“Being one of the 14 level IV SUCs (state universities and colleges) in the country, MUST is considered a leading university with two academic programs recognized as Centers of Development such as Mathematics and Electrical Engineering with seven Level III accredited programs,” he said.

He claimed that Level IV is the highest level any SUC could attain.

Rodriguez also emphasized that the annual release of fund is intended for the construction and upgrading of the facilities and technologies of the university, including the establishment of a Center for Arts, Science Technology of Mindanao that will house the University Theater, S&T museums and galleries, and research centers.