Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said P4 billion has been allotted in the 2026 national budget to build and upgrade facilities in 114 State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) to expand enrollment capacity.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, Gatchalian said limited facilities have forced SUCs to turn away qualified applicants.
An analysis by his office showed that 168,493 qualified students were denied admission due to capacity constraints.
Data from 62 SUCs revealed that 32 have exceeded their capacity, with 11 already at 100% occupancy.
“Bagama’t may libreng kolehiyo na tayo, napakarami pa ring kabataan ang hindi nakakapasok dahil kapos ang pasilidad at kapasidad ng ating mga SUCs. Tiyakin nating lahat ng mga mag-aaral ay mabibigyan ng pagkakataong makapagpatuloy ng kanilang edukasyon,” said Gatchalian.
He added that under the historic education budget, funds were ensured for every SUC to expand and accommodate more students.IMT
