SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian said P4 billion has been earmarked in the proposed 2026 national budget for the upgrade of facilities in 114 state universities and colleges (SUCs). Gatchalian added that the funding aims to increase enrollment capacity in SUCs and address longstanding infrastructure gaps that have prevented thousands of qualified students from pursuing higher education. “Although we now have free college, there are still many youth who cannot attend because of the lack of facilities and capacity of our SUCs. Let us ensure that all students are allowed to continue their education,” he said. He noted that the allocation is for the construction of additional classrooms, laboratories, academic buildings and other essential learning facilities. He described it as “historic funding” for the education sector. Analysis conducted by the senator’s office revealed that 168,493 students were denied admission despite meeting enrollment qualifications, primarily due to limited institutional capacity. Data submitted by 62 SUCs showed that 32 institutions have exceeded their intended capacity, with 11 already operating at 100-percent occupancy. Under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, tuition and other school fees in SUCs are covered by government subsidies, significantly increasing demand for admission slots. “Therefore, under the historic funding we have allocated for the education sector, we have ensured that each SUC has funding to expand its capacity to accommodate more students,” Gatchalian said. In a related development, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the Department of Education is open to partnering with private companies to build more classrooms under a public-private partnership (PPP). He noted that the goal is to build more than 100,000 classrooms before the end of the Marcos administration. “But I guess the challenge is really finding that sweet spot. And for business to realize, you know, there’s a lot of equity involved here. And for the public sector to realize that the rules have to be fair and the gains have to be clear,” Angara said during a roundtable at the Asean Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders forum in Makati City on Tuesday. He announced that infrastructure giants such as Ayala and EEI Corp. are eager to become partners. “I think another change that President [Ferdinand] Marcos has initiated is that we want human development and human infrastructure at the core of the PPPs, not just physical development, not just building structures,” Angara said. The DepEd is set to construct 16,000 new classrooms in high-need areas through the PPP for School Infrastructure Program III (PSIP III), with a total project cost of P105.7 billion. Under a build-lease-transfer modality, private partners will finance and construct the classrooms, ensuring on-time delivery and proper maintenance throughout the concession period. To accelerate the implementation of the program, Marcos issued Presidential Directive PBBM-2025-1355 on Jan. 21, 2025, directing DepEd, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), and the PPP Center to establish a green lane for education PPPs. Other business leaders expressed similar interest. “Social infrastructure is really a challenge,” Cosette Canilao, president and chief executive officer of Aboitiz InfraCapital, said.