“SIMULA na ito ng conversion ng Basilan State College para maging ganap na State U na. Mas madaming mag-aaral ang makikinabang, mas malaki ang oportunidad sa pag-unlad. Mahaba pa ang tatahakin, pero tuloy-tuloy na ito.”

Deputy Speaker and Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman gratefully and enthusiastically announced the dramatic increase in funds for Basilan State College – soon to be Basilan State U – for the year 2022 in the national budget.

The hike in the said SUC’s budget is phenomenal – from P113.1 million separately approved by both houses of Congress, to P233.8 million during the bicam. The president signed the General Appropriations Act today.

“Malugod kong ipinapaalam sa mga Basileños na higit pa sa doble ang itinaas ng pondo para sa ating Basilan State College bilang paghahanda sa napipinto nitong conversion para maging Basilan State U,” Hataman, former governor of the now-defunct ARMM, said.

“Kami ay nagagalak at naisama sya sa national budget natin para sa 2022 para masimulan na ang pagbabago. Nagpapasalamat ako sa ating mga kasama sa Kongreso sa napakagandang balita na ito,” he added.

For 2021, the approved budget for Basilan State College is P117.2 million. The proposed 2022 funds for BASC in the Senate and the House of Representatives stood at P113.1 million, but was revised in the bicam to P233.8 million. For 2019 and 2020, its budget is in the amounts of P105.6 million and P105.1 million, respectively.

This year, the president signed into law Republic Act No. 115544, or an Act Converting the Basilan State College in the City of Isabela into a state university known as the Basilan State University.

“At sa loob din ng taong ito, naglaan tayo ng pondo na maaring magamit para sa conversion. Mahaba pa ang lalakbayin natin, pero pwede na tayong humakbang patungo doon,” Hataman said.

“So we are very grateful for this opportunity that we can plan and start a better Basilan State U for the future of our children.

The Basilan lawmaker explained that there are still some requirements needed to be fulfilled by BASC to become a full-fledged State U under the rules of CHED, like upgrade its facilities and other changes.

Once CHED approves its university status, Basilan State U can then offer more options for higher education. As of now, BASSC offers several Bachelor of Science and Arts courses, as well as post-graduate education and some non-diploma programs.

At present, it has a Level I and II accreditation from the Accrediting Agency of Chartered Colleges and Universities in the Philippines (AACCUP), Inc. In fact, Basilan State College offers a Doctorate in Education Major in Education Administration, a Masters in Public Administration and a Masters of Arts in Education.

If it becomes a State U, it has the mandate to “provide advance education, higher technological, professional and vocational courses, and training in arts and sciences, education, agriculture and industrial fields, management, criminology, maritime, medical education, legal education, non-traditional courses and other relevant fields of study.”