22/01/2026
๐ก๐๐ช๐ฆ๐๐๐ฆ๐ | PalawanSU 2026 budget up by 8.72%
Palawan State University will receive a budget of P1,054,878,000 this year.
According to the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), which was signed by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday, January 5, this year's budget had an increase of at least P84 million, translating to an 8.72% increase from P970,306,000 last year.
At least P742 million was allocated to higher education programs, P10.4 million for advanced education programs, P7.2 million for research programs, and P1.8 million for technical advisory extension programs, while P15 million was allocated for locally-funded projects.
โThe budget hike came following the P1.345 trillion total budget allotted for the education sector, which includes P1.015 trillion for the Department of Education and P137.9 billion for state universities and colleges (SUCs).
๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฟ: ๐๐๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ โ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ณ๐๐น๐น๐ ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ปโ
In an interview, Student Regent Jay Cze Dador pointed out however that even though the budget allocated this year is as large as it shows, it is not entirely given by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
โNo matter how grand the amounts look on paper, if the Department of Budget and Management delays their distribution or does not distribute at all, these amounts do not relate at all in any way to the benefit of the university or students, which has been a problem that the university has faced over and over again.โ
He also emphasized that there is still a P120 million funding deficiency, which came from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 GAA, which in turn, has not been given by DBM to the University. He further added that the Board of Regents, as well as the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), are now calling the DBM to allocate the remaining budget.
He also said the situation is not unique, as it is also being experienced by other state universities and colleges nationwide. Quoting a press release by the Senate in September last year, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian assured that there would be no funding deficiency for the Free Higher Education (FHE) budget in 2026. This follows the P12.3 billion funding deficiency for FHE incurred from 2022 to 2025. He also emphasized previously that funding deficiencies in free higher education prevent state universities and colleges (SUCs) from making investments in new facilities, programs, and other projects, which affect their capacity to deliver quality tertiary education to students. Gatchalian also called for a formula for computing projected enrollment in relation to the cost per student, which will be agreed on by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the SUCs.
โ[The problem] shifts to students in various forms: delayed or reduced academic services, limited learning resources, deferred maintenance of facilities, increased reliance on miscellaneous or institutional fees, and constrained student support programs. In effect, students are made to absorb the consequences of a budget that exists on paper but is incomplete in reality,โ Mr Dador also added.
The Student Regent further said that there should be a secure and functional budget monitoring system to ensure financial transparency, to guarantee that all funds are used for their intended purposes while eliminating corruption, administrative delays, and financial leakages.
๐ฉ๐ฃ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ โ๐๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐โ ๐ฏ๐๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐ต๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ, ๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ ๐ด๐ผ๐โ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐
In a separate interview, Vice President for Finance and Administration Dr Venzon Limpiada said she warmly received the news on this yearโs budget, as it would largely benefit the students.
But despite this yearโs โsmallโ percentage increase, compared to last yearโs budget by 9.08% to P970.3 million, VPFA said P15 million of it will be allocated to the โConstruction of One-Storey Academic and Laboratory Building (3 Classrooms)โ at the College of Engineering, in compliance with the Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC).
Also pointing out the increase of funding for personnel services, which stands this year for P590.893 million from 2025โs budget of P469.598 million, the VPFA also said it would create more plantilla positions. Moreover, 50% to 60% of the tuition fees paid in the previous years by the government go to the salaries and wages of job-order (JO) and contract-of-service (COS) faculty and staff.
In a joint memorandum by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), Commission on Audit (COA) and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in 2020, payment of services rendered by the JO and COS staff shall be charged against the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses in the approved agency budget.
Furthermore, according to the Commission on Audit (COA), โIn contracts of service and job orders, there exists no employer-employee relationship between the hiring agency and the persons hired and it should be made clear in their contracts that services rendered can never be accredited as government service.โ JO and COS employees are also not entitled to benefits such as PERA (Personnel Economic Relief Allowance), RATA (Representation and Transportation Allowance), and ACA (Additional Compensation Allowance).
Sharing the same sentiment of Student-Regent Dador, Dr Limpiada also hopes that the government would pay the remaining deficiency for the studentsโ benefit.
โWe are crossing our fingers. We are praying, we are working, we will work with the Commission on Higher Education, the PASUC and the Department of Budget and Management: those three agencies na sana nga magkatotoo na mabayaran tayo. Kasi talagang it will work down to the benefit of the students.โ
