San Juan City Rep. Joseph Victor (JV) Ejercito may be fighting an uphill battle for increased state subsidies for 112 state colleges and universities in the country, but he is not giving up the fight yet.

Ejercito said he has filed a resolution reiterating his appeal for the restoration of cuts made on the State Colleges and Universities budget, that was supported by 131 members of the House of Representatives.

He, however, said President Benigno Aquino III had turned deaf ears to their plea, as the budget of SUCs was reduced from P34 billion to P31 billion.

Ejercito, who met yesterday with students, teachers and officials of the state-managed Carlos Hilado Memorial State College in Talisay City in a consultative dialog, said he finds it ironic that while the number of enrollees in SUCs are increasing every year, the state subsidy is decreasing.

President Benigno Aquino III announced in his 2011 budget message, “We are gradually reducing the subsidy to [state colleges and universities] to push them toward becoming self-sufficient and financially independent, given their ability to raise their income and to utilize it for their programs and projects.”

Ejercito said this will further lead to commercialization of education, as SUCs will have no choice but to increase their tuition fees, to continue their operations. He cited the increase in tuition fees at the University of Philippines from P300 per unit to P1,500.

Ejercito, who is a member of the House Committee on Appropriations, said he has held consultations in state colleges and universities all over the country, and he may convince the “President’s men” to increase the state subsidy, by providing them inputs gathered from those affected.

“The only way out of poverty is to have a graduate in every family,” Ejercito said.

Rep. Alfredo Abelardo Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) who joined Ejercito at the forum, which was also attended by Talisay City Mayor Eric Saratan, Silay Vice Mayor Mark Golez and CHMSC president Benny Palma, also expressed his support for the resolution.

Ejercito recalled that when his father, Joseph Estrada, was president in 2000, 90 percent of the budget for SUCs came from the government.

Almost 12 years after, it had been reduced by only 65.58 percent, he said.

The Philippine Association of State Colleges and Universities had proposed a budget of P45 billion last year, but he said the Aquino government only allocated P21.8 billion.

It seems that the government considers the subsidy to SUCs as “pabigat (burden)”, instead of a responsibility to the Filipino youth, Ejercito said.**GPB

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