KABATAAN Party-list and 40 state university and college presidents have joined forces to demand the restoration of budget cuts and additional funding for the government’s Free Higher Education (FHE) program, warning that free college remains at risk under the proposed 2026 national budget.

The joint call, contained in a statement signed by 40 of the country’s 113 SUC presidents, was the result of independent consultations with SUC student regents and administrators, along with pre-plenary budget caucuses led by Kabataan.

Despite government assurances to address three years of FHE funding backlogs, the group revealed that 26 SUCs still face significant budget cuts under the 2026 National Expenditure Program, while the FHE program itself is projected to suffer a ₱3.34-billion shortfall next year.

“This chronic underfunding directly denies the right to education of each Iskolar ng Bayan,” the statement read.

“The shortfall has compelled our SUCs to rely on internally generated income from business ventures, even direct fee collection from students, or to restrict admissions—undermining the very essence of free, quality, and accessible education supposedly provided by the State,” it added.

The SUC presidents laid out four key demands to address the funding gap:

1. Restore the full ₱6.47 billion slashed from the budgets of 26 SUCs.

2. Allocate at least ₱15.64 billion to cover accumulated deficiencies in the FHE program.

3. Fund priority SUC projects and programs worth at least ₱20.61 billion in maintenance and capital outlay, as consolidated by the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges.

4. Realign funds from the recently removed ₱255.53 billion