NINETY-FOUR of the country’s 113 state universities and colleges (SUCs) have signed a unity statement calling for the restoration of budget cuts and additional funding for higher education in fiscal year 2027.

Kabataan Partylist Representative Renee Co welcomed the broad support from SUC presidents as Congress continues its deliberations on the proposed national budget.

“Ngayon, lalo lamang lumalakas ang ating panawagan: Pondo sa edukasyon, hindi sa korapsyon!” Co said, urging the House of Representatives and the Senate to hear the concerns of the education sector.

According to the unity statement, 49 of the 113 SUCs are facing budget cuts, nearly twice the 26 SUCs that were in the same situation at a similar stage of last year’s budget deliberations.

The SUC presidents said the reductions in capital outlay could delay the construction of academic facilities, student spaces and other infrastructure.

Cuts in maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE), meanwhile, could affect the day-to-day operations of SUCs and limit collective negotiation agreement incentives for eligible employees, according to the statement.

The SUC presidents are calling on Congress to restore the ₱7.678 billion in budget cuts affecting the 49 SUCs and provide additional and adequate funding for state universities and colleges nationwide.

They are also seeking the resolution of outstanding deficiencies in free higher education funding, including the ₱5.321-billion deficiency for fiscal years 2025 to 2026, as well as the projected funding gap for 2027, based on figures from the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC).

The group is further calling for adjustments in SUC budgets based on the true cost of attendance and the allocation of ₱11.508 billion for capital outlay expenditures identified by PASUC.

The SUC presidents also called for the reallocation of the proposed ₱107.368 billion for flood control projects to education and other social services, including health, housing and transportation.

The statement said the signatories are calling for genuinely free, accessible and quality education for Filipino students, describing education as a fundamental human right.