House approves ISUFST budget, vows to fund tuition gaps

By Edmer Bernardo and Herman Lagon

The House of Representatives has approved the 2026 budget for the Iloilo State University of Fisheries Science and Technology (ISUFST) and pledged to legislate the full payment of funding shortfalls under the free higher education law, including PHP 35 million owed to ISUFST.

The measure was approved during plenary deliberations that ended around 1 a.m., presided over by Deputy Speaker Ferjenel Biron (Iloilo, 4th District) and Rep. Janette Garin (Iloilo, 1st District).

The House Committee on Appropriations, through Chair Mikaela Angela Suansing (Nueva Ecija), who sponsored the measure on the floor, affirmed support to address the estimated PHP 12 billion nationwide shortfall under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act (UAQTEA) using the Higher Education Development Fund (HEDF) and the General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Majority Leader Sandro Marcos and Deputy Majority Leader Jose Francisco “Kiko” Benitez endorsed the proposal, while minority party-list lawmakers Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Kiram Ismula of Akbayan, and Renee Louise Co of Kabataan, also backed the full payment of the funding deficits, according to floor proceedings.

Biron, principal author of the ISUFST charter, also met with ISUFST President Nordy Siason Jr., Planning Director Edmer Bernardo, Budget Officer Melin Puyong, and OIC Board Secretary Reil Jan Patosa to finalize a funding roadmap for the proposed Colleges of Nursing and Maritime Studies.

The estimated PHP 120 million required will cover facilities and equipment for the new programs.

“We thank the House leadership and our Iloilo representatives for ensuring resources that keep access free and quality high,” Siason said, adding that the 2026 allocation positions ISUFST to open Nursing and Maritime programs by Academic Year 2026–2027, subject to approvals from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), and the completion of laboratories and buildings.

UAQTEA funding deficiencies—mismatches between the actual costs of free tuition and annual budget allocations—have constrained state universities and colleges (SUCs), limiting their capacity to invest in classrooms, laboratories, and instructional materials.

Lawmakers noted that utilizing the HEDF and providing supplemental GAA appropriations would fill these gaps while enhancing service delivery and academic quality.

The late-night passage of the ISUFST budget supports the university’s 2026 development plan, which also includes campus upgrades and expanded student services.

“This action directly supports SDG 4 (Quality Education) and strengthens ISUFST’s role in blue economy training aligned with SDG 14 (Life Below Water),” said Dr. Bernardo in a message after the session.

ISUFST—the country’s first and only state university specializing in fisheries—operates five campuses and extension sites offering programs in fisheries, marine sciences, education, industrial technology, agriculture, information technology, and management.

The university is ISO 9001:2015-certified, AACCUP-accredited, and designated as a CHED Center of Development in Fisheries, with recent awards for internationalization, indigenous peoples (IP) education, peace education, extension services, student welfare, and full Certificate of Program Compliance (COPC) status.

The budget bill now moves to the Senate for committee hearings and plenary deliberation.

Any differences between the House and Senate versions will be resolved in a Bicameral Conference Committee before the final version is submitted to the president for enactment into the national budget under the General Appropriations Act. (PAMMCO/ISUFST)