By Neil Alcober

Copyright tribune

Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Chairperson Sherly Agrupis presented her agency’s budget wishlist for the next fiscal year during Thursday’s House budget briefing on its proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget.Her presentation included requests for additional funding for the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), transforming CHED to support its recalibrated strategy, and initiatives to further empower and upscale state universities and colleges (SUCs) in providing quality education.The deliberations centered on funding priorities for higher education, including student assistance, institutional development, and other key programs. Lawmakers engaged CHED officials on plans and strategies to ensure accessible and quality tertiary education nationwide.CHED has a total budget allocation of ₱33.9 billion under the proposed 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).”I would like to emphasize that ₱20.7 billion and ₱6.7 billion are dedicated for the implementation of the Tertiary Education Subsidy and the free higher education,” Agrupis told members of the House Committee on Appropriations during the briefing.Agrupis appealed for additional funding to ensure that no student is left behind.”In order for us not to be displaced the 626,107 poor students who are already enrolled [including incoming students], we need an additional budget of ₱8.6 billion,” she said.She also addressed the wide tuition fee disparity among the 113 SUCs, which ranges from ₱12 to ₱500. While waiting for a long-delayed composite fee system—supposed to be implemented three years ago—CHED needs ₱2.5 billion to equalize tuition costs.To resolve inadequate infrastructure such as dormitories and classrooms, CHED is seeking a ₱3.4 billion budget—₱30 million per SUC—for improvement across all 113 SUCs.”Mataas talaga ang edukasyon, but if you can give us additional funding of ₱15 billion, then I think we are ready to upgrade the qualify of education in the Philippines,” Agrupis said.For free higher education, CHED is requesting ₱6.7 billion to support 527,542 students.”Thank you so much po ibinigay lahat,” she added.Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) & Tulong Dunong ProgramCHED projected 807,377 recipients for the TES program, but only ₱15.5 billion is funded in the 2026 NEP, earmarked for specific categories: Litahanan, 4Ps, PNSL, and PSGPAA.”For the Tuklas Dunong Program, an initiative of the congressmen, the 474,755 are those grantees accumulated through the years because every year the tulong dunong program comes to us as new recipients,” Agrupis said.”So ‘yung mga second year, third year, and fourth year students na accumulate po totalling to 474,755. The recipients under this program are identified by our congressmen who choose the recipients from their own district which we are very much thankful with,” she added.Agrupis noted that only 338,963 students under Tulong Dunong were funded in the 2026 NEP, with a total budget of ₱5.135 billion.”In order for us to support the ongoing Tulong Dunong Program na 135,792 students, we need additional ₱2 billion,” she said.She further emphasized:”So in total and for incoming 4Ps identified by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, they give us a clean list of 490,315 students. To finance and accept 490,000 students, we need ₱6.6 billion. And to sustain the 135,000 Tulong Dunong grantees, we need a total of ₱8.6 billion.”Agrupis warned that over 600,000 students could be displaced if additional funds are not approved.”So, as part of our policy, moving forward from 2026, it is our prayer that every time our good congressmen propose new grantees para nyo na pong awa paki-sustain ‘yung funding until they graduate,” she appealed to lawmakers.”So question mark palang ‘yun, we are just waiting for the GAA [General Appropriations Act] awaiting for the list because from 2026 we will entertain only under the TES [Tertiary Education Subsidy] list from DSWD,” she added.Additional Infrastructure and CHED Regional Office NeedsCHED is also seeking ₱3 billion for construction of new buildings in regional offices, repairs to its central office, upgrading of ICT infrastructure, and construction of the newly established CHED Negros Island Region.”Marami po kaming hinihingi because, to date, the CHED offices are really lagging behind. Madami po kaming kailangan,” Agrupis said.”And I would like to emphasize that visitors come and go in our national and regional offices, but we do not have a respectable building representing the higher education institutions. We are in dire need of face lifting of our existing CHED central office and construction of new one, if possible,” she added.She also highlighted the need for a standardized tuition fee system across all SUCs to ensure quality education.”I has so many implications with the state universities and colleges sustained to collect very low tuition fee being paid by UniFAST [Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education] hindi po sila makakaangat. Kaya po yung minimum compliance na ini-impose ng CHED for them to offer quality education in a specific degree program ay hindi po sila makakapantay,” she explained.