SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday lamented that the bicameral conference committee for the 2025 national budget did not approve of his recommendation to allocate P4 billion for State Universities and Colleges.

Gatchalian made the statement while explaining that the 2025 national budget is not perfect.

“Hindi perpekto itong budget na ito. Marami sana akong, marami akong recommendation actually sa education sector. Iba natanggap, iba hindi natanggap,” he said.

“For example, ‘yung recommendation natin na magdagdag ng 4 billion para sa mga state universities and colleges. Para sa free higher and colleges para sa kanilang free higher education. Doon kasi sa pagdinig, marami sa ating mga state universities and colleges hindi mabigyan ang kanilang mga enrollees ng free higher education or libreng tuition fee dahil kulang ‘yung pondo nila,” the senator explained.

He said that the funding gap had left many students unable to benefit from free tuition, a constitutional mandate under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act.

He lamented that the P4 billion he proposed was a small fraction of the P6.3 trillion national budget.

“At sabi ko nga napakaliit lang ang 4 billion pesos compared to 6.3 billion pesos, 6.3 trillion pesos, hindi pa na-allocate. Pero marami naman natanggap,” he explained.

However, Gatchalian was not without his victories.

He highlighted that one of his key recommendations was approved: a special provision prioritizing the ‘poorest of the poor’ for scholarship programs, particularly the Tertiary Education Subsidy.

The senator emphasized that education should remain a cornerstone of the national budget, given its pivotal role in uplifting Filipino families from poverty.

He reiterated that while some of his proposals were rejected, the approved provisions were critical in providing quality education for Filipinos.