THE Commission on Higher Education (Ched) said there is no budget slash nor reduction of funds for their agency for their proposed fiscal year (FY) 2025 budget.
Ched Chairman and Secretary J. Prospero “Popoy” de Vera III told the local media at the sidelines of their annual national IT education event “Ched 2.0: Expand, Exceed, Exemplify” on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, that for more than two years consecutively, the Commission on Audit (COA) gave their department an “unqualified opinion” also known as an “unmodified opinion,” meaning the agency’s financial statements are prepared in compliance with the relevant financial reporting system.
“Napasa na sa House of Senate. Wala kaming cuts. Meron kaming augmentation pero hindi na namin sasabihin ang amount pero the version of the House double the budget of Ched. I think that is a good indication that we are doing a good job, that we can really rely upon that we use money efficiently, wisely,” de Vera said, noting that the utilization rate for free higher education is 99.8 percent while the general utilization rate is at 97 percent which means that there is no negative observation on the use of financial resources.
(The House of Senate has passed the [budget]. We don't have cuts. We have an augmentation but we will not reveal the amount but the version of the House doubles the budget of Ched. I think that is a good indication that we are doing a good job, that we can really rely upon that we use money efficiently, wisely).
The official explained that the national government has been prioritizing education’s budget for its transparency and accountability in terms of public fund spending, making it one of the well-recognized agencies in the Philippines.
“Wala kaming anomaly sa commission (We have no anomaly in the commission) and for the past two years, we are always ranked in the Top Three as the Most Trusted and Best Performing Government. Any money that you give to us, we will spend it correctly according to law,” he added.
In October, Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah “Mina” F. Pangandaman said that the proposed P6.352 trillion national budget for next year continues to prioritize social services, with education as the top priority with P977.6 billion, equivalent to 15.4 percent of the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
This proposed budget is higher than the sector’s P968.9 billion allocation in the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
“As mandated by the Constitution, the education sector [composed of the Department of Education, State Universities and Colleges, Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority] will remain the top priority with a total budget of P977.6 billion,” DBM Sec. Mina Pangandaman said.
The budget, anchored on the Philippine Development Plan 2023 to 2028, intends to support and enhance the country's human capital development by making significant investments in social protection, health care, and education. DEF