FORMER Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto emphasized the need for stronger oversight, particularly to protect the education budget.

“This year, a significant portion of the education budget was slashed and reallocated elsewhere,” Sotto lamented. “That shouldn’t have happened. If we were still in the Senate, we would have opposed that.”

Sotto also expressed concern over the reduced funding for his ‘Doktor Para sa Bayan’ program.

“Each state university with a medical school was supposed to admit 40 scholars annually. This year, the budget only covers 24—a far cry from previous years,” he explained.

He reiterated his commitment to championing policies that directly benefit ordinary Filipinos—especially in education, agriculture, and social welfare. (Dang Samson-Garcia)

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