Oblation set ‘ablaze’ for 2015 holidays UP Diliman kicked off this year’s Christmas season by adorning the iconic Oblation with blaze-inspired design by visual artist Toym Imao. The fiery decoration was meant to be a visual metaphor of the UP community’s role as the guiding light towards free thought, action and service. According to Imao, the design itself was inspired by the lighthouses that guide ships to their destinations. “And at the personal level, the university is a place where you keep finding yourself returning to. If you are to do something, it will revolve around its traditions on what it means to be a graduate of UP,” said Imao.
DBM proposes P2.2 B UP budget cut ARRA F RANC I A UP IS LOOMING TOWARDS A P2.246 billion budget cut in 2016, the biggest slash in the university’s annual budget in six years. From this year’s P 13.143 billion, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allotted P 10.897 billion for UP’s eight constituent units and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in the proposed 2016 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to the House of Representatives last July 28. The lower house is set to conduct initial deliberations on the NEP on August 10, where legislators may suggest changes to the DBM-proposed budget. The NEP will then undergo two more readings before approval and will be sent to the upper chamber of Congress. Once in the Senate, the NEP will undergo the same round of procedures before being consolidated into one bill by the bicameral conference committee, consisting of representatives from both chambers of Congress. The final bill will then be transmitted to the president who will sign it into law. The largest bulk of the 2016 budget will cover personnel services (PS), or compensation for faculty and employees with P 7.032 billion. Operating expenses worth P 2.789 billion have been filed under maintenance and other expenses (MOOE), while the remaining P 1.44 billion has been allotted to capital outlay (CO), or funds for the construction of new infrastructures. Funds for PS and MOOE include P 12.7 million for scholarships, the construction and rehabilitation of various buildings such as a Regional Research Center in UP Visayas worth P 180 million, and P250 million for the modernization fiber optic cables in different units, which will strengthen communication lines in the UP system in line with UP President Alfredo Pascual’s eUP project. The budget cut stems primarily from the removal of CO funds for PGH, which received P 3.1 billion this year for the improvement of its facilities and hospital equipment. Academic units will likewise have a decrease of around P310 million for CO. Despite the removal of CO for PGH, a total increase of around P 1.2 billion was added to PS and MOOE.
The DBM-proposed budget does not include funds for the rehabilitation of the UP Diliman (UPD) Alumni Center which was razed by fire on July 1. On the other hand, no appropriations were given for additional dormitories amidst the issue on lack of student housing, wherein around 300 freshmen with no dorm slots were forced to camp out Kalayaan Residence Hall on August 5. In a dialogue between UPD Chancellor Michael Tan and Vice Chancellor for Student Activities Neil Martial Santillan on August 6, Tan said that he will push for the inclusion of funds for the construction of at least five dormitories in UPD that will accommodate around 500 students each. Amidst the possibility of a budget cut, UP will be getting the biggest slice of funds among the country’s 112 state colleges and universities worth P 43.65 billion, a minimal increase from 2015’s P 43.3 billion. Should the proposed 2016 national budget of P 3.002 trillion be approved, the country will have twice the country’s purse had in 2010, or the first year President Benigno Simeon Aquino III took office. This also shows a 15.2 percent increase from the 2015 budget of P2.6 trillion. An appropriation of P 1.08 trillion or 36.8 percent of the budget will go to social services such
as education and health care. Around P 800 billion is allotted for the construction of roads and infrastructure to boost the economy while the portion used to pay off international debts will comprise of 14 percent, or P 42 billion, the lowest allocation for debt payment in a decade. The Department of Education is set to have one of the biggest allocations among the government agencies with P 410 billion. Despite the budget increase, however, P 430.4 billion was filed under Special Purpose Funds (SPFs), a 75.2 percent leap from this year’s P 245.7 billion allocation. SPFs have no specific usage but can be used with the administration’s discretion. “Flipping through the pages of the 2016 national expenditure program, one can readily see traces of pork barrel. It’s practically everywhere,” said Kabataan
party-list Representative Terry Ridon. From this year’s P 13.143 billion, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has allotted P 10.897 billion for UP’s eight constituent units and the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in the proposed 2016 National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted to the House of Representatives last July 28. The lower house is set to conduct initial deliberations on the NEP on August 10, where legislators may suggest changes to the DBM-proposed budget. The NEP will then undergo two more readings before approval and will be sent to the upper chamber of Congress. ≠