(Eagle News) — Authorities have identified where to source at least P16 billion that will fund the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, a lawmaker said.
In a statement, Davao Rep. Karlo Nograles, said the “breakthrough” came on Wednesday, after he met with Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Commission on Higher Education Chair Patricia Licuanan and other CHEd commissioners, and Technical Education Skills Development Authority Secretary General Guiling Mamondiong.
Nograles, also the House of Representatives appropriations chair, said that the money that “would be readily available in time for the first semester enrollment next year,” would come from “various scholarships in various departments that can be pooled together and consolidated…”
He said the “various scholarships can be found in different State Universities and Colleges, CHEd, the Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and (TESDA).”
“We will be consolidating all the scholarship funds and spending them according to RA 10931 (Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act) since this is the latest law that supersedes all other laws, and this law takes into consideration scholarships in SUCs, (local universities and colleges), (technical vocational institutions), and even private colleges and universities,” Nograles explained.
Nograles said the amount to be pooled “does not even include additional funds that may be carved out of underperforming and underspending agencies, if needed.”
According to the lawmaker, it was agreed upon during the meeting that “CHEd and TESDA must come up with an accurate figure on the number of students who would benefit from the free higher education law.”
He said this was so his panel “can figure out how much is really needed to ensure (the law’s) full implementation.”
“We still need to come up with (this) taking into account that for college next school year, there will be many seniors and freshmen coming in but fewer sophomores and juniors because of the K-12 program. This final number will determine, magkano ba talaga kailangan. Is P16 billion enough or not?” he asked.
“(In the meantime), makakatulog na ng mahimbing ang ating Pangulong (Rodrigo) Duterte,” he said.
https://youtu.be/diaUXzhOpU8
