By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
With education hailed among the administration’s top priorities, the government continues to double down on its investment in this sector that supports the Filipino youth.
In a media release, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced that the agency has earmarked P61.10 billion for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education (UAQTE) Program under the proposed 2027 national budget.
Higher funds allocated for the UAQTE Program will support free higher education in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), financial assistance for students through the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), and free technical-vocational education and training in public institutions.
The proposed UAQTE allocation for SUCs in 2027 is ₱1.30 billion higher than those allocated under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), which would help to accommodate more students in public educational institutions.
DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon said in a statement, “These investments focus more on building the human capital that will determine our country’s competitiveness for decades to come.”
Meanwhile, the agency also countered claims of reduced funds for SUCs, noting that the overall proposed budget for SUCs under the 2027 NEP is ₱141.09 billion—₱6.09 billion or 4.5% higher than the ₱134.99 billion provided under the 2026 NEP.
Increases for the proposed UAQTE allocation for Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) were pegged at P383 million and P814 million, respectively.
Under Republic Act No. 10931, or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, qualified students in SUCs and CHED-recognized LUCs may pursue their first undergraduate degree without paying tuition and other school fees, subject to the requirements of the law and their respective institutions.
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