TWO lawmakers in the House of Representatives moved for the restoration of the original budget of the Commission on Higher Education for 2022 — P62.39 billion.

Baguio City Rep. Mark Go and Surigao del Norte Rep. Francisco Jose Matugas II said the P9.6-billion budget cut will mean zero allocation for important CHED programs such as the implementation of the Doctor Para sa Bayan Act, Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education, RA 11448 or Transnational Higher Education, Medical Scholarship and Return Service, Construction of the Proposed Higher Education Development Center, among others.

The Committee on Appropriations has terminated its deliberations on the CHED’s P52.6-billion proposed budget.

The committee approved the motion of Senior Deputy Minority Leader Janette Garin to terminate the proceedings and endorse CHED’s budget for plenary discussions.

Garin, who last week moved to defer consideration of the CHED proposed budget, said the minority has no objection to the agency’s funding proposal.

“After conferring with my colleagues in the Minority, we interpose no objection and instead move that we approve the proposed budget of the CHED,” she said.

Garin explained that she moved to defer consideration of the CHED budget proposal because “we find it very much unfair that much of the funds for needed projects, especially scholarships, have remained unreleased.”

“However, considering that the CHED is the primary institution that takes care of our education, our very weapon towards economic recovery in the face of this pandemic challenges, we also believe that the executive, especially the Department of Budget and Management, has realized that budget delay means injustice to our students and likewise an injustice to the CHED family who have been working 24/7, night and day, just so they can deliver quality education to our students,” the lawmaker said.