SENATOR Pia Cayetano received praise from Senator Joel Villanueva for her crucial role in increasing the budget for state universities and colleges since 2019.

Villanueva thanked Cayetano for her “fantastic job” as Senior Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance.

“In the past ten years, we have more than tripled the budget of our state colleges and universities because of you, Madam Chair, so congratulations,” Villanueva said.

The actual expenditure program for SUCs for the current year is P132.9 billion, which is 3.4 times higher than the P38.6 billion allotted in 2014. In 2018, the SUC budget was P64.9 billion. Since Cayetano assumed office in 2019, their budget has grown annually by at least P2 billion, with a maximum increase of P27 billion.

“The Bible says, ‘Give honor to whom honor is due.’ That is why the chairperson of EDCOM 2 and this representation is here to support our chairperson,” Villanueva added.

Over the past six years, Cayetano has advocated for increased funding for SUCs and the Commission on Higher Education to achieve a more inclusive, equitable, and universal quality education in the country.

Her brother, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, who chairs the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, has also actively pushed for a higher SUC budget, focusing on modernizing facilities to produce highly employable graduates.

Senator Pia stated that investing in the country’s SUCs is “an investment in our nation’s future, empowering the next generation of leaders and innovators.” She aims to increase the proposed budget for SUCs next year to at least match the current year’s allocation.