HOUSE Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio has raised concern over a ₱5.32-billion funding shortfall for free higher education in state universities and colleges (SUCs), warning that the funding gap could limit access for thousands of students.

Citing data from the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Tinio said SUCs face a ₱2.05-billion funding deficiency for 2026 and a projected ₱2.77-billion shortfall for 2027.

Tinio noted that Congress had previously allocated an additional ₱12.3 billion to settle the government’s unpaid obligations to SUCs for free higher education from 2022 to 2025, but said the funding gap has resurfaced.

He also criticized the proposed 2027 national budget, noting that 58 of 113 SUCs are set to receive reduced Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), while 12 SUCs have no allocation for capital outlay and 25 have no funding for infrastructure projects.

Among the universities facing MOOE reductions are the University of the Philippines, Eastern Samar State University, West Visayas State University, Rizal Technological University, Bicol University, and Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University.

Tinio also raised concerns over the situation of around 55,000 job order and contract-of-service workers in SUCs, including more than 26,000 teaching personnel. He called for the creation of additional permanent faculty positions to provide more stable employment in state universities.

The lawmaker also called for raising the salary grade of Instructor I positions from Salary Grade 12 to Salary Grade 16, arguing that faculty members with master’s degrees should receive compensation comparable to other government professionals with similar qualifications.

Tinio urged CHED, the Department of Budget and Management, the Civil Service Commission, and Congress to address what he described as longstanding inequities in SUC funding and faculty compensation.