STATE universities and colleges (SUCs) were allocated an extra P4.28 billion in the last three years through the Aquino administration’s controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).More than half of the amount went to the University of the Philippines (UP) and the Mindanao State University (MSU), according to the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd).In justifying the funds’ realignment, CHEd said DAP funds augmented the SUCs’ 2011 and 2012 budgets. As of September 2013, P3.96 billion or 98 per cent of the allocated P4.03 billion has been released, CHEd Chairman Patricia Licuanan said in a statement Tuesday. UP and MSU received P1.383 and P1.039 billion, respectively. Among the infrastructure projects funded by DAP were UP-Baguio’s five ongoing construction projects namely their Residence Hall, Human Kinetics Program building, College of Arts and Communication building, Kolehiyo ng Agham building and the Galerya Kordilyera. DAP will fund 14 infrastructure and equipment upgrades in the pipeline in MSU’s main campus in Marawi City including a three-story Science and Technology building and a Computer Center. Licuanan disclosed that some P560 million was also disbursed through DAP to 22 SUCs for 128 research, development and extension (RDE) projects through the Philippine Institute for Development Studies. Some P165 million in DAP funds also went to short training courses conducted by the Development Academy of the Philippines for university executives. To date, 60 percent of the P165-million allotment has been utilized, according to the CHEd. The P500-million budget for the Student Grants-in-Aid for Poverty Alleviation (SGP-PA) was also funded by DAP. The program targets to support 4,004 college scholars.
