Student admissions and staff shortages on State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) may worsen after President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. vetoed PHP43.245 billion in the 2026 national budget allocated for personnel funding, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines expressed.
According to ACT Teachers Partylist, a fourth of the budget cut or P10.772 billion was originally intended for salary upgrades and hiring of new personnel.
The veto also covered PHP32.47 billion for retirement and terminal leave benefits, affecting over 41,000 professors, instructors, and administrative staff in SUCs.
Following the budget cut, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) noted that SUCs may be forced to limit student admissions amid uncertainty in staff expansion.
“Kung hindi magiging klaro ang hiring ng additional teaching and non-teaching staff, we can only admit or increase enrollment as many,” CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis stated at a Palace briefing, January 6.
Agrupis added that while the budget cut is unlikely to affect the overall teaching and learning environment of higher education institutions, it could impact the hiring of non-teaching staff in SUCs.
In the meantime, CHED is awaiting approval of the Revised Organization and Staffing Standards (ROSS) II, which would allow SUCs to restructure staffing and convert contract and casual employees into permanent positions.
Meanwhile, ACT Teachers Partylist stated on January 8 that the budget veto could trigger “massive exodus and worsen chronic staffing shortages.”
“Marcos’ budget veto means job insecurity and increased workload for both academic and administrative SUC personnel. It will take a toll on the operations of state schools and affect the quality of its programs,” ACT Vice Chairperson Carl Marc Ramota said.
Ramota noted that the “perennial problem” within plantilla positions has led to dire working conditions in SUCs, where faculty and staff are overworked, underpaid, and often forced to take up multiple classes on top of committee work and administrative duties.
“Job precarity has been the norm rather than the exception in most administrative offices, even among teaching personnel in public higher education institutions,” Ramota stated, noting that chronic understaffing and heavy workloads could push educators and support personnel to leave SUCs.
ACT Representative Antonio Tinio also added that the cut prevents staff from being regularized which could force them to endure another year as underpaid and overworked contract workers.
On January 5, Marcos signed the PHP6.79-trillion 2026 national budget, vetoing PHP92.5 billion worth of Unprogrammed Appropriations, including allocations intended for public higher education institutions.
