by Alexia Hernandez
Several faculty unions nationwide revealed the lack of transparency of tuition fee increment (TFI) among various private institutions in an online forum held last March 7.
The Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities of the Philippines (CoTeSCUP) hosted the discussion titled “Unmasking Tuition Fee Increases (TFI): A Forum for Student and Worker Rights.”
It convened student organizations and labor groups from different universities to share their experiences regarding the TFI negotiations with their respective university administrators.
According to the unions, this affects “faculty’s welfare and burdens students financially,” as withholding funds are essential to their needs while raising tuition fees increase financial strain on students.
SUFA pushes legislative reform
Silliman University Faculty Association (SUFA) President Jonathan Mark Te presented its ongoing negotiations with the administration on the use of TFI including recent developments on tuition increase in SU.
Dr. Victor Aguilan, former SUFA president and current external affairs officer, also proposed his amendments to Republic Act 6728, a law governing tuition increases in private institutions.
Aguilan emphasized the need for legislative amendments due to “lack of transparency, weak enforcement, and unequal distribution” of these funds.
The amendment seeks to introduce transparent accounting where private institutions must provide clear and detailed reports on the allocation of the 70-percent portion of tuition fees earmarked for salaries and development projects.
Additionally, a joint tuition and fees allocation committee was proposed where a multi-sectoral body composed of faculty, non-teaching staff, support staff, and elected student representatives oversee and approve how tuition increments are spent.
The proposal also includes the need for a stronger regulatory oversight where the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and other government agencies must ensure periodic inspections and require institutions to submit annual reports on tuition fund allocation.
“We need to enhance and improve employee and stakeholder participation and, of course, there must be stronger enforcement from government regulatory agencies like CHED to ensure that the law advances social justice,” Aguilan said.
UST, others call for fair TFI shares
Alongside the proposed legislative form, some faculty unions also shared their concerns over the delays in their TFI shares.
Prof. Emerito Gonzales, president of the University of Santo Tomas Faculty Union (USTFU), criticized the release of their TFI which has been long-delayed since 2022.
He said that faculty benefits are dependent on the approval of their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which has further prolonged their release.
According to Gonzales, they have requested the release of these funds as early as October 2024. However, their university administration responded that the TFI shares are “typically released only upon ratification of the CBA.”
“Typical, ibig sabihin kaugalian, [a] common practice po nila ever since in the last 25 years I have been with the university,” he explained.
(Typical, meaning customary, a common practice ever since in the last 25 years I have been with the university.)
Gonzales furthered that it took them over three months of “continuous follow-ups and negotiations” to secure the interest payments from past-due TFI shares.
Meanwhile, labor groups representatives also spoke on fostering collaboration between student organizations and labor unions and advocating “fair policies” that can benefit both students and faculty.
Student publications and organizations such as The LaSallian, The Bedan, The Varsitarian, DAKILA – Dumaguete, Batas Manggagawa, and board members of the CoTeSCUP also attended the forum.
