The University of the Philippines-Mindanao and its student council are pushing for higher funding for the UP system as they expressed alarm over budgetary cuts in the education sector, particularly in UP-Mindanao.
In a joint statement, UP-Mindanao and the student council noted that for the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), only P25.82 billion was approved for the UP system.
The figure was way below the P46.85 billion proposed by the UP Board of Regents, they said.
‘This P21 billion deficit serves as a major threat to the development of the university and compromises basic student services as well as the welfare of constituents across UP campuses,’ UP-Mindanao and the student council said.
The budget allotted for UP-Mindanao is among the lowest in the UP system, they said, noting a long-standing struggle for adequate resources since the university was established.
For the 2025 budget in infrastructure development, the university was allocated a mere P25.9 million, a sharp drop from P140 million allotted last year.
Based on the 2026 NEP released by the Department of Budget and Management, only P16.18 million was approved for UP-Mindanao.
The state university and the student council said the drastic reduction in the proposed budget would hinder institutional development.
UP-Mindanao said the budget cuts have resulted in inadequate student services, insufficient campus amenities, and lack of personnel, classrooms and organization areas as well as constrained research capabilities.
‘While the university and the system’s Board of Regents remain committed to the ‘Road to 5,000 Students’ project and expanding access to quality education for more Mindanao youth, the sharp decline in funding poses a significant barrier to achieving such goals,’ the state university said. ‘The misprioritization of funding is a clear manifestation of the state’s neglect of the education sector.’