MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines faces its largest budget cut in nine yearskingbet, with a P2.08 billion cut set for 2025, based on the final version of next year's budget approved on Wednesday, December 11.

Lawmakers approved P22.70 billion for UP's 2025 budget, down from its current allocation of P24.77 billion, according to the signed bicameral conference committee report. 

The final figure is also P358.63 million lower than the original proposed budget of P23.40 billion for 2025, as submitted in the National Expenditure Program.

The P2.08 billion reduction surpasses the previous largest single-year cut of P1.33 billion between 2015 and 2016, when UP's budget dropped from P13.14 billion to P11.81 billion. 

The state university's funding had generally trended upward over the years, rising from P13.51 billion in 2017 to P16.16 billion in 2018, then to P17.01 billion in 2019 and P18.69 billion in 2020, based on the General Appropriations Act of the relevant years. 

The increases continued with P21.50 billion in 2021 and P24.39 billion in 2022. After a slight P130-million dip to P24.26 billion in 2023, it increased to P24.77 billion this year.

This 8.4% budget cut will affect the whole University of the Philippines system, which operates eight constituent universities serving more than 64,000 students nationwide. UP manages degree-granting units, research facilities, teaching hospitals, and specialized campuses across Diliman, Manila, Los Baños, Visayas, Mindanao, Baguio, Cebu, and the Open University.

The final budget approved by the bicameral conference committee reconciles the general appropriations bills of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Once the bicam report is submitted, it marks the final step in the budget process before the proposed spending plan is sent to the president for signing into law. 

The bicam report does not contain the specific changes in the budget for UP's personnel services, maintenance and operating expenses and capital outlay. 

Overall, state universities and colleges stand to get P122.16 billion next year. This is a 4.7% drop from last year's outlay of P128.23 billion. 

“The PNP would like to commit our full support to him like we did to previous SILGs (secretaries of the interior and local government),” Fajardo said at a news briefing.

The program involves the development of a local defense industry through partnerships between the government and private manufacturers to achieve domestic production capability for weapons and other defense materiel for the military.kingbet