Palace: We’re listening

Malacañang on Friday said that it was not ignoring the concerns of state universities and colleges, and that the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) had its allotment increased by 11 percent in the 2012 expenditure program.

“We continue to hear them. We’re not oblivious to the concerns of our students,” President Aquino’s deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

According to Valte, a comparison of the 2011 national budget with the proposed 2012 expenditure program submitted to Congress would show that PUP’s budget was raised by 11 percent “for both personal services and miscellaneous and other operating expenses.”