Focus on studies not protests, Palace tells students

Malacañang on Saturday called on students of state universities and colleges (SUCs) to concentrate on their studies rather than walking out of their classrooms to protest supposed budget cuts for their institutions.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte made the remarks after SUC students held a mass action that included “planking” in Mendiola on Friday to press for a higher budget for state institutions.

“I hope they would focus on their studies,” Valte said over state-run radio station dzRB, when asked if Malacañang would call on militant students to stop the walkouts.

“Let’s prioritize our studies,” she added.

Valte belied the notion that the government had slashed the budget of SUCs.

She adverted to the Department of Budget and Management’s statement that the budget for SUCs in the proposed 2012 national expenditure program is higher by 10.1 percent than their allocation under the 2011 budget.

In a statement on Friday, Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said the Aquino administration had actually increased the budget for SUCs from P23.7 billion in 2011 to P26.1 billion in 2012.

Abad said this amount included P23.6 billion, inclusive of automatic appropriations, which are itemized per SUC; a standby fund of more than P2 billion under the Miscellaneous and Personnel Benefit Funds for unfilled positions in SUCs, and an additional P500 million under the Commission on Higher Education for SUC development.

“Clearly, the state subsidy for SUCs is higher next year. But more important than the increase, this proposed budget supports the development of SUCs as responsive to the government’s five priority areas for growth and employment,” Abad said in a statement.

“(President Aquino) has directed the CHEd to work together with SUCs as well as the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and the Department of Labor and Employment and with industry to align their curricula to these priority areas. There is an immense opportunity in these areas but they are lacking in qualified manpower,” he added.