Aquino: State colleges, universities not taken for granted

President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday fended off accusations that his government is taking education for granted, saying there was a significant increase in the proposed 2011 budget for education even though the allocation for state universities and colleges (SUCs) may be lower. In a statement, Aquino said the proposed P23.4-billion budget for SUCs for 2011 is higher than the P21 billion the Arroyo administration proposed for the year 2010, adding that the actual allocation for this year increased to P23.845 billion due to congressional insertions. "Reklamo ng iba, dapat raw ay mas mataas ito. Sabi naman ng ilan, hindi raw natin binibigyang-halaga ang edukasyon. Sagot ko naman po sa kanila, huwag sanang kalimutan na hindi lang tertiary level ang binibigyang-pansin kapag edukasyon ang pinag-uusapan," President Aquino said. (Some complain that the budget should have been higher. Some say we do not give value to education. My answer is this: do not forget that the tertiary level is not the only thing we should give attention to when it comes to education.) President Aquino pointed out that the proposed overall budget for education next year – including the budget for basic education that includes elementary and high school – rose by 12.92 percent, or to P271.67 billion from the P240.58 billion allotted for this year. "Mas tinututukan lang natin ang higit na nangangailangan ng tulong. Ang basic education ay dapat libre para sa lahat, kaya malaki ang budget na idinagdag natin sa DepEd. Sa pamamagitan nito, masisigurong mabibigyan ng pagkakataon ang mga kabataan na makapag-aral," he said. (We are merely focusing on who needs help the most. Basic education should be free for all, that's why we had a huge increase for the budget of the Department of Education. Through this, we can give children the opportunity to study.) Kabataan party-list and militant students from SUCs have continuously protested the potentially lower budget for SUCs next year. During Aquino's 100 days event early this month, four students from the University of the Philippines-Manila interrupted the program and demanded a bigger budget for SUCs. In his statement, President Aquino acknowledged that the budget for UP went down from P6.9 billion in 2010 to the proposed P5.5 billion for 2011, but maintained that the budget department only lowered the allocation because UP has other means to source funds. He pointed out that UP sources funds from the UP-Ayala Technohub, from students' tuition, and from state subsidies. The President said he wants to focus more on other SUCs. "Ang makakalangoy po ay inaasahan nating makararating sa pampang; abutan naman natin ng salbabida ang mga maaari pang malunod (We can expect those who can swim to reach the shore; let us give life buoys to those who may drown)," he said. President Aquino promised early on in his administration that he would prioritize funding for social services, including education and health. Not all parts of his proposed budget, however, were popular, as lawmakers questioned the proposed P21-billion budget for conditional cash transfers. - KBK, GMANews.TV