SENATOR Raffy Tulfo made an ocular inspection at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa last June 29 upon the request of students who came to his program “Raffy Tulfo in Action.”

In his visit, Tulfo was able to confirm the report of PUP students that the school facilities are old, damaged and not conducive for learning.

“Maaari ngang dekalidad ang edukasyon sa Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) pero bulok ang mga pasilidad dito,” he said.

“Kalunos-lunos ang hitsura ng mga gusali at classroom. Ang mga kagamitan sa engineering laboratory halimbawa ay sobrang pinaglumaan na ng panahon at naghihikahos. Mala-pugon ang init sa mga hallway at ilang mga classroom, kapos na kapos sa ventilation at iilan lang ang mga electric fan. Ang kanilang mga silya ay nagmamakaawa nang mapalitan. Ang lahat ng gusali ay hindi PWD-friendly dahil sira ang mga elevator,” he added.

Tulfo said the laboratory equipment of the Engineering Department are difficult to operate while some already appear like junk.

He added that there are buildings in PUP that need to be renovated and equipment that need to be upgraded.

For one, he said there are many chairs that are old and fragile and classrooms that are too hot because of lack of ventilation and ceiling fans.

The elevators in various buildings, he noted, are also broken which could have been used by PWD students.

Tulfo likewise observed that the ball does not bounce at the school’s basketball court because the floor already has a lot of flakes.

To make matters worse, Tulfo said there are electrical cables dangling inside the gym which can cause accidents.

Tulfo expressed dismay over the lack of power in some of the buildings due to construction since another project of the DPWH has been under construction for almost a year and only a portion of it has been finished.

There are also scattered heaps of discarded items in various places in the campus that can infest mosquitoes and cause dengue.

According to University president ManuelnMuhi and vice president for Administration Adam Ramilo, whom Tulfo met during his inspection, the university’s budget allocated by Congress yearly has been slashed by the Department of Budget Management.

The two officials said the school lacked enough funds to make necessary building improvement and buy modern equipment, prompting Tulfo to assure them that the PUP’s budget would not be cut in the Senate’s next budget hearing.

Tulfo has recommended to the school officials to conduct structural integrity inspection and seismic retrofitting in old buildings considering that PUP is one of the highly populated universities in the country.