CAGAYAN de Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Monday expressed support for the petition of 30 state universities and colleges (SUCs) to restore P6.2-billion cut from their budgets.

“Let us support our students in these SUCs by appropriating sufficient funding for their schools, Let us prioritize the education of our youth,” he said.

He said the 30 universities and colleges should at least be allocated the same amount of budget they have for this year.

“Let us return the P6.2 billion taken away from them,” he said.

Rodriguez revealed that he would write to Speaker Martin Romualdez and House committee on appropriations Chair Elizaldy Co on his restoration proposal.

“That would be one of my proposed amendments to the national budget for next year,” he added.

He pointed out that he realized that the restitution of P6.2 billion to the 30 SUCs would mean getting the same amount from other agencies or appropriations.

“We can reduce funding items for less important expenses like travel, representation and entertainment, vehicle acquisition, office renovation, and even for water, electricity and phone bills to generate forced savings in favor of supporting our students in SUCs,” he stressed.

The Mindanao lawmaker also noted that among the 30 public universities and colleges deprived of funds are Polytechnic University of the Philippines, which is the go-to-school of poor students, and several agricultural schools in the provinces.

He said the reduction of funds of agricultural universities and colleges will adversely affect agricultural production and food sufficiency for the country.

Rodriguez cited Art XIV, Sec 1 of the Constitution which provides: “The State shall protect and promote the right of all citizens to quality education at all levels, and shall take appropriate steps to make such education accessible to all”.

In their petition to restore funds cut from their budgets, the presidents of 30 SUCs said education “is a fundamental right that should be accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic status.”

“It plays a vital role in empowering individuals and shaping a just society. However, the current state of our education system fails to adequately cater to the needs of our students due to inadequate financial support,” they said.

They said most of the funds removed from their schools were for “capital outlay,” including money for “facilities, equipment, and other investments that will serve these institutions for periods longer than the next fiscal year.”

“We, the undersigned, hereby register our call to the Philippine Congress to restore the budget cuts to all state universities and colleges and to further augment the higher education budget. Additional budget is needed for our learning institutions to regain their public character and provide ample support for student services and faculty development. If our state universities and colleges are to be expected to do their duties, they must be funded accordingly,” they added.