Students starving, subsidies slashed to scraps

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan on Saturday urged stronger government investment in higher education as the Senate began deliberations on the proposed 2026 budget, warning that the country risks losing an entire generation of skilled professionals if systemic problems are left unresolved.

Pangilinan cited the latest EDCOM II report, which revealed that only 34.8 percent of Filipinos are enrolled in higher education, below the ASEAN average of 41.1 percent. In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, participation falls to just 18 percent. He added that nearly four out of ten students nationwide drop out before completing their degree, with the attrition rate in BARMM hitting 93.4 percent.

“These numbers mean we are cutting short the dreams of an entire generation,” Pangilinan said, noting the lost potential of future teachers, engineers, lawyers, and health workers.

The senator pointed to financial struggles, the need to work, and declining interest in studies as the biggest barriers for students. While the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act widened opportunities, he said many state universities are already at full capacity and local universities mostly offer only business and education courses, limiting choices for students.

He also flagged concerns over changes in the tertiary education subsidy. Although more poor students now qualify, the annual support per student was slashed from ₱60,000 to ₱10,000, an amount Pangilinan said is inadequate for tuition, books, transport, and living expenses.

The Philippines also lags in research, with only 172 researchers per million people compared to 322 in other middle-income countries. Without strategic investment, Pangilinan warned, local universities will remain “undergraduate factories” while neighboring nations advance in innovation.

“The 2026 higher education budget is not just a line item—it is our answer to the aspirations of young Filipinos,” he said.