Youth party Kabataan agreed with the presidential veto on the new Polytechnic University of the Philippines’ (PUP) charter, but for an entirely different reason.
Malacanang Palace said Saturday President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. vetoed the National Polytechnic University (NPU) bill due to its “low performance in the 2016 State Universities and Colleges (SUC) leveling exercise,” and Kabataan said it is fine the measure did not become law.
“[T]he PUP community stood firm and exposed this bill for what it truly is – a tool for privatization and commercialization of our public universities. This veto is not his (Marcos) generosity – it is a victory we seized through years of relentless struggle,” Kabataan said.
The party said the Marcos Jr. administration merely wants a new PUP charter that is a “deceptive corporate rebrand” of the country’s biggest university.
Quest for a national university status
The bills (House Bill No. 11341 and Senate Bill No. 2669) sought to amend Presidential Decree1341 – PUP’s existing charter – to provide for “institutional and fiscal policy” and elevate it to a national university status.
If approved, PUP would have joined the University of the Philippines, Mindanao State University and Batangas State University as “national universities.”
The palace on Saturday said that PUP achieved “only Level II rating” in the 2016 SUC levelling exercise conducted by the Department of Budget and Management and the Commission on Higher Education.
“PUP must demonstrate exceptional quality in faculty, programs, and maintain high academic standards in instruction, research, and public service,” the PCO said, referring to the criteria for elevation of status.
PUP has 97,710 students, majority of whom are from poor families, across its 25 campuses nationwide.
Kabataan however said that Marcos Jr.’s refusal to amend PUP’s chapter is to make sure it aligns first with foreign interests, “not because he supports the PUP community’s fight against commercialization policies at the core of the NPU Bill.”
“His veto at worst can also be a signal for PUP administrators to back his political agenda in exchange for higher funding and other favors,” the youth party warned.
PUP admin for new charter
The administration of university president Manuel Muhi has pushed hard for an amended charter, arguing that institutional autonomy means flexibility in curriculum design and program offerings.
“Additionally, it would gain fiscal autonomy, providing greater freedom in financial distribution to support professional growth, student and staff welfare, and other essential services,” it said in a March 2025 university forum.
University chief legal counsel Joanna Marie Liao also said that the school “will not be commercialized” under the proposed measure.
“[I]t only allows for the outsourcing of non-academic services and joint ventures,” said Liao, adding that the school will retain the name PUP.
The Muhi administration also claimed wide support from the Unyon ng Nagkakaisang Kawani sa PUP (UNAKA-PUP) and several faculty members.
“We hope that you stand with us in support of the National Polytechnic University Bill. We all know that this is for the benefit of the entire university—not just for the employees, not just for the faculty members, but most importantly, for the students and the future generations of students to come,” Muhi said.
PUP faculty regent Ramir Cruz and Buklod Guro convenor Prestoline Suyat said they are saddened by Marcos Jr.’s decision but acknowledged the shortcomings pointed out by the president in his veto.
Cruz and Suyat urged the university administration to include all the stakeholders in crafting a “genuine autonomy bill” they said must be certified urgent by Marcos Jr. once filed in the 20th Congress.
Full State support to education
Kabataan Partylist however said the NPU bill must no longer be filed in Congress, branding such proposed measures as pro-capitalist “Neglect and Privatization of Universities” bills.
“Instead of forcing PUP to meet arbitrary qualifications for national university status, Marcos Jr. should guarantee adequate funding and the right to education for every student, regardless of their school’s status or classification,” Kabataan Rep. Renee Co said.
Co explained that real quality education comes from full State support, not from forcing public institutions to chase rankings and quotas and operate like profit-driven corporations.
“Let us continue the fight for nationalist, scientific and pro-people education,” Co said. | via KODAO PRODUCTIONS
