By Junex Doronio

MANILA — With a budget of over P10 billion, Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel has called on the Marcos Jr. administration to abolish the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) and reallocate its budget and confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) to education and social services.

The NTF-ELCAC has P10.294 billion programmed funds under the 2024 GAA and obligations amounting to P2.833 billion as of June 30.

Manuel also questioned the Office of the President’s (OP) budget request for CIF, noting that it exceeds the budgets of the government’s intelligence agencies like the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the National Security Council (NSC).

The leftist lawmaker highlighted that the OP has requested P4.560 billion in confidential and intelligence funds for 2025, the same amount as in 2023 and 2024, which is higher than NICA’s proposed budget of P2.242 billion and NSC’s proposed budget of P896.9 million. NICA’s budget request for CIF is P991.2 million out of its P2.242 billion total, while the NSC has requested P250 million.

Manuel asked the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) if the OP has a mandate to “act like an intelligence agency.” The DBM confirmed that the OP has the highest allocation for CIF, justifying it by stating that the President, as commander-in-chief, acts “with inputs from security agencies.”

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By Dang Samson Garcia

THE government’s full support to state universities and colleges is crucial if the country wants to develop and improve the higher education system, a lawmaker said.

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel urged the government to provide sufficient budget allotment to SUCs to enable them to provide better services.

Manuel said that the recent slide of Philippine universities in the Time Higher Education rankings should prompt Congress and government officials to reassess current policies.

“Reflection ito na nahihirapan ang ating mga State Universities and Colleges na paunlarin pa ang kalidad ng edukasyon kung taon-taon ay kailangan manlimos ng SUCs para sa sapat na budget. Kaya kung gusto nating makahabol ang ating mga pamantasan sa rehiyon at sa mundo, dapat nariyan ang sapat na suporta ng estado,” he said.

“Habang nais nating paunlarin ang kalidad ng edukasyon, hindi dapat gawing batayang panukat ang international rankings at kritikal din dapat itong tinitingnan. Minsan ang rankings pa na ito ang nagiging dahilan para maitago ang mga represibong mga patakaran tulad ng mababang sahod ng teachers, kakulangan ng facilities at classrooms, paglabag sa iba-ibang constitutional rights ng students and teachers kagaya ng pagbubuo ng unyon at mga organisasyon, at maging ang karapatang magpahayag o tumuligsa ng patakaran na ito,” he added.

“Para makapaghabol ng ranking, todong ginigipit naman ang mga estudyante na magpataas ng performance sa pamamagitan ng iba-ibang patakaran kahit lumalabag na ito sa karapatan niya. Ang kalidad ay mahahanap sa kalidad ng estudyante mismo at sa maunlad na kalagayan ng ating mga guro, at ‘di lang sa mga makadayuhang pamantayan,” the lawmaker stressed.

Kabataan Party-list filed House Bill 1151 or the Adequate and Accessible University Services Bill to provide affordable food, health and housing services to reduce the expenses of students in-campus.

The measure aims to ensure that students will finish their college education.