MANILA — House Committee on Higher and Technical Education Chairperson and TINGOG Party-list Representative Jude Acidre on Friday welcomed the increase in funding for state universities and colleges (SUCs) under the 2026 national budget.

Acidre said the recently signed Republic Act No. 12314, or the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026, allocates a total of ₱137.904 billion for 113 SUCs, or 115 for budgeting purposes. The amount represents a ₱9.079-billion increase from the original proposal, which he described as a strong vote of confidence in public higher education.

The lawmaker expressed gratitude to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III, Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Marcos, and House Appropriations Committee Chairperson Mikaela Suansing for their support for the education sector. He also credited the collaboration of SUC leaders nationwide, working with Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Shirley Agrupis and Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges President Dr. Tirso Ronquillo, for ensuring that the needs of SUCs were addressed.

The 2026 GAA includes funding meant to address shortfalls in the government’s Free Higher Education (FHE) program. This includes ₱4.486 billion under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education budget of CHED to cover funding gaps from academic years 2022–2023 to 2024–2025, and an additional ₱7.821 billion from the Higher Education Development Fund to address both past and ongoing FHE deficiencies for academic year 2025–2026.

The budget also allocates ₱50 million for a Futures Thinking Research Program involving 25 SUCs, and ₱5.64 billion in capital outlay for the construction, rehabilitation, and completion of classrooms, academic buildings, and multi-purpose facilities in 112 SUCs. An additional ₱70 million was earmarked for facility repairs in three SUCs, along with increases of ₱2.76 billion in maintenance and other operating expenses and ₱560 million more in capital outlay.

A key provision in the 2026 budget ensures that FHE funding will be based on projected enrollment figures submitted by SUCs, instead of prior-year data.

Acidre said the increased funding would help SUCs fulfill their mandates in instruction, research, community engagement, and public service. He noted that more than 2 million students, along with about 100,000 faculty and staff members and 55,000 job order and contract workers, are expected to benefit from the allocations.