SEN. Raffy Tulfo yesterday assured that he will defend the budget of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) so it can have enough funds to fix and upgrade its dilapidated facilities.
Tulfo made the assurance after he conducted an ocular inspection of the PUP campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila last week on the request of students who sought his help through his radio program.
He said PUP President Manuel Muhi told him the university’s budget allotted by Congress annually is being slashed by the Department of Budget and Management, the reason why they do not ha ve funds to make the necessary improvements and purchase modern equipment.
In his visit, Tulfo confirmed the complaints of students that the facilities of PUP were “old, damaged, and not conducive for learning.
“While PUP offers quality education, its facilities are old, damaged, and not conducive for learning. The classrooms are in a very sorry state. Equipment in its engineering lab is obsolete. The hallways are steaming hot due to a lack of proper ventilation. The chairs used by the students are begging to be replaced. All of its buildings are not PWD (persons with disability)-friendly because the elevators are not working,” Tulfo said.
He said the buildings on the campus need to be renovated and the equipment used by students need upgrading.
He said that even the university’s basketball gym needs a lot of repairs and added that electric cables dangling in the gym may cause major accidents.
He said some buildings under construction do not have electricity while a DPWH project in the compound has been ongoing for almost a year and only a portion of it has been finished.
Tulfo said he also observed that scattered heaps of discarded items in various places in the campus can be breeding grounds for mosquitos.
