KABATAAN Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel on Friday denounced the proposal to lower the budgets of State Universities and Colleges.

Manuel said that the budget cuts threaten students’ access to free and quality education amid the pandemic.

Nearly all 116 SUCs, except one, are set to receive cuts in their Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses budget, while 83 of them are set to receive cuts in their Capital Outlay budget which could prevent them from complying with retrofitting standards and health protocols for a full and safe reopening of their campuses.

Even universities specializing in agriculture and technology, which are crucial fields for long-term recovery from the pandemic, are due for large cuts, Manuel said. These include the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture which is facing a 51.23% budget decrease, Bulacan Agricultural State College with 22.09% decrease, Batangas State University with 21.80% decrease, Mindanao State University, 23.27%, and University of Southern Mindanao, 14.09%.

Even the University of the Philippines, whose budget includes that for the Philippine General Hospital, and the Polytechnic University of the Philippines system will not be spared.

“In history, we have known budget cuts to force school administrators to pursue commercialization policies and the imposition of additional fees to sustain funds, which in the long term bar student from enrolling due to financial barriers. What more amid the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic?” Manuel said.

For poor students in the provinces, the SUCs based in their locality are often the all-or-nothing option for them to have higher education, but severe cuts may deny them access to education, he added.

“This is exacerbated by cuts against the Tertiary Education Subsidy mandated under the Free College Education Law or R.A. 10931 amounting to 295 million,” Manuel said.