THE vision of Cebu Normal University (CNU) to become a technologically-advanced “smart university” by 2027 may be in peril following a P1.9 billion budget cut for the incoming year, 2025.
From its P2,520,787,000 budget this year, the Department of Budget and Management’s (DBM) National Expenditure Program (NEP) slashed CNU’s budget to only P534,545,000 next year — a far cry from the P16.1 billion asked for by the university in its own budget proposal for academic year (A.Y.) 2025.
Established in 1902, the CNU plans to transition into a “smart university” that will create more efficient learning, teaching, and working environments for its teachers, staff, and students by utilizing cutting edge digital technologies.
“So, that P1.9 billion slash under the NEP is now the challenge of the present (CNU) administration,” said CNU president Daniel Ariaso in an interview on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. The proposed budget cut is still the subject of deliberation in Congress.
Congressional insertions
According to Ariaso, Congress allowed the CNU to have a billion peso budget in 2024, a first time in the school’s history.
“If we compare this to the actual approved budget in 2024, it is correct to say that there is P1.9 billion slashed (by NEP-DBM),” Ariaso said.
“I wrote a letter to all the congressmen in Cebu and other to name a few, Zaldy Co of ‘Ako Bicol,’ and Congressman Pablo John Garcia of the third district of Cebu,” said Ariaso, indicating the reason CNU got a P2 billion budget in 2024.
Ariaso said he will request for additional funds, especially for CNU’s maintenance and other operating expenses and capital outlay.
Congressional insertions refer to amendments to the national expenditure program or general appropriations bill which a member or committee of either House of Congress shall propose or introduce during the deliberations in either the House of Representatives or the Senate or before the Bicameral Conference Committee. These are not part of the national expenditure program as originally proposed by the executive department.
Part of CNU’s P2.5 billion budget in 2024 had come from congressional insertions.
Problems
Ariaso disclosed that the lack of space is CNU’s main problem along with electricity as smart campuses need enough power to sustain the demands of electronic equipment and gadgets.
“I cannot promise if we will be having the same amount for 2025 but I have a strong feeling that we can have more than what is indicated in the NEP,” Ariaso said.
“That is why diskartehan sa presidente how to get more,” he added. Ariaso assumed his post only on Aug. 3, 2023.
The state university has 8,782 students across all curricular programs within its present 1.6-hectare lot along Osmeña Blvd. not including its external campuses in the towns of Balamban and Medellin.
Ariaso said CNU plans to establish three new extension campuses in the municipalities of Catmon, Alegria and Argao.
The NEP is a crucial document submitted by the DBM to assist Congress in reviewing and deliberating the proposed national budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The NEP outlines the government’s proposed programs and allocations, serving as a foundational element for the legislation of annual appropriations measures.
The executive department recommends the budget for the upcoming year; but this is not final until the House and Senate adopt it. The authorized version by Congress will then reach the President’s desk for his signature and become the official budget for the following year. / CDF