Highlights of the sponsorship of the CHED budget
Senator Pia S. Cayetano
Senior Vice Chairperson, Finance Committee

Mr President. I am ready to sponsor and accept questions from my colleagues on the budget of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), amounting to P35,463,893,000 in new appropriations.

* Note: responding to the manifestation of Sen. Win Gatchalian

ON REIMBURSING THE FREE TUITION EXPENSES OF THREE LGU-RUN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES

Thank you to our colleague also for putting that on record. And I just want to manifest that Chair Popoy [De Vera] was nodding his head. And they already have the signatures for the CHEDresolution [approving the reimbursement for the three LGU-run schools, Taguig City University, Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila, and Valenzuela Polytechnic College]. So it's good as done, Mr Chairman. Thank you.

* Note: responding to the questions of Senator Risa Hontiveros

ON ALLEGED GHOST SCHOLARS LISTED BY HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

According to CHED, they are not aware of any alleged ghost scholars. If the same refers to the so-called double scholarship grants to 338 students in Regions 2 and 5, the issue has been looked into by the concerned regional offices and 123 students from the 27 HEIs have already returned the double payments, while 215 students are in the process of settlement. Is that the same thing?

* Other than what I have reported, they don't have any. So if her honor has something, please share it with them so they can investigate immediately.

* ON PH'S COMPLIANCE WITH THE OBSERVATIONS OF THE EUROPEAN MARITIME SAFETY AGENCY ON MARITIME TRAINING STANDARDS

There are 83 schools [with maritime education programs] that are under the jurisdiction of CHED. The others, which are training centers, are under MARINA. So wala hong kinalaman yan sa CHED [EMSA issues].

* They [CHED] have closed in the past. And siguro nga kaya nag-comply na talaga ang iba. They have actually closed 15 schools' maritime programs.

* Wala nga po silang jurisdiction sa training centers.

* There are schools that have other programs. For example, customs administration, so hindi affected yun [in case that the school's maritime program is ordered closed by CHED]. So it's not the whole school that will [be closed by CHED]. It's just the program that will be closed. So tuloy-tuloy naman ang school na yun for their other programs.

* CHED intends to...attend to the development and issuance of revised policies, standards, and guidelines, otherwise the curriculum, for implementation of maritime HEIs starting this school year, 2022-2023.

* As to the non-compliance of maritime HEIs, CHED has reduced the number of maritime HEIs from 128 to 83. This is over the span of...1994 to 2022.

CHED has closed an additional 15 maritime programs as of 2022. CHED has imposed a 5-year moratorium on the opening of new maritime programs [while] attending to the development of standardized course packages. Upon the instructions of President Marcos, CHED will work with DOTR, DOLE, and DMW to implement more reforms to comply with all of the EMSA [European Maritime Safety Agency] observations.

* The 5 years [moratorium on the establishment of new maritime programs] will give CHED enough time to really evaluate existing schools without having to deal with the opening of new ones because most likely, those will be the same schools, in the guise of a different entity, or different owners, that will reapply. So the five years gives them time to work with the existing schools.