Angara denies cut in budget of some SUCs

MANILA, Philippines - Administration senator Edgardo Angara on Tuesday denied reports that the Senate has cut the budget of some state universities and colleges (SUCs) when it passed its version of the 2009 proposed national budget. "(That is) not true. In fact, I am giving some SUCs extra budget for research and development," Angara said in text message to GMANews.TV. He did not elaborate. He said the research and development funding, especially in times of desperation, is very important to find new ways of livelihood such as new skills, training of people "so that when the good times come back, there are people who are prepared." In an interview earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said the senators put more funding in the research and development. "The fund for research and development will be put together as pool of resources that the universities and colleges can tap," Zubiri said. He added that the research and development fund is intended to address the issues on food and energy as well as poverty mitigation to address the looming global recession. House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora has warned against a showdown between senators and congressmen in the next meeting of the bicameral conference committee because of the reported cuts made by the Senate on SUCs in the provinces. He said the senators cannot expect the congressmen to agree on the cuts it made on the academic institutions in their areas. Among the schools that received cuts in the Senate version of the budget were the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University which lost P9 million; Batanes State College, P3 million; Cagayan State University, P9 million; Isabela State University, P30.5 million; Nueva Vizcaya State University, P18 million; and Quirino State College, P29 million. Other that received cut were Bataan Peninsula State University, P9 million; Pampanga Agricultural College, P2 million; and Ramon Magsaysay Technological University, P14 million; Bicol University, P3 million; Camarines Sur State Agricultural College, P29 million; Partido State University, P19 million; Capiz State University, P3 million. Cebu Normal University, P12 million; Cebu State College of Science and Technology, P6 million; Negros Oriental State University, P9 million; Siquijor State College, P23 million; Samar State University, P14 million; J. H. Cerilles State College, P19 million; University of Southeastern Philippines, P44 million; Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology, P4 million; Mindanao State University, P21.5 million. - GMANews.TV