THE house committee on higher and technical education chairperson and Baguio City representative Mark Go is pushing for the restoration of the Commission on Higher Education’s (Ched) budget as originally provided in the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
Ched was earlier announced to suffer a massive budget cut of P11 billion in its proposed budget for next year.
Go wrote to committee on appropriations chair Isidro Ungab appealing to restore Ched’s original allocation of P52.43 billion after the pre-plenary deliberations on Ched’s 2020 budget.
In his letter, Go called to restore P7.15 billion for the implementation of Republic Act (RA) 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education, as one of the principal authors of the law, as well as P3.6 billion to fund assistance, scholarships and stipends under the Student Financial Assistance Program (STUFAP).
Go also submitted his amendments to House Bill 4228 or the General Appropriations Bill for 2020, proposing the change in budget from P35.4 billion to P42.5 billion for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, and to increase the allotment of P516 million to P4.17 billion for the STUFAP.
The house chairperson on higher education stressed Ched’s budget cut would severely hamper the implementation of RA 10931 that grants free tuition to state universities and colleges and technical-vocational institutions nationwide. Go added that it would also direly affect the subsidy needed to support qualified student beneficiaries around the country.
Go also hopes his proposed amendments would be considered by the Bicameral Committee as its “last chance” to rectify the allocation of CHED’s budget for the next fiscal year. (SunStar Baguio)