Over one-third of the university’s proposed P44.1-billion budget for 2023 will be allotted to fund large-scale infrastructure projects in UP, an ominous sign for the families living inside UP Diliman (UPD) that UP President Danilo Concepcion’s ambitious infrastructure drive could soon displace their communities.

Compared to last year, the university is requesting an additional P14.8 billion mainly for the construction of buildings, research facilities, and housing for employees and families that will be affected by UP’s construction projects.

Meanwhile, on top of this year's P21.3-billion budget, the university seeks an additional P22.8-billion funding for its eight constituent units and the Philippine General Hospital. Less than a quarter of UP’s additional funding request, or P4.3 billion, will be allocated to create 1,761 new permanent positions in the university. Another P3.6 billion will be spent on the university’s maintenance and utility bills.

The UP System, in particular, eyes a P50-million budget to construct relocation facilities for “informal settlers.” These housing projects are allocated for communities on lands where UP plans to build big-ticket infrastructure projects like the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) Diliman.

UP has already coordinated with the communities regarding the proposed relocation facilities, Vice President for Public Affairs Elena Pernia claimed. However, Ajay Lagrimas, the UP Diliman University Student Council’s Community Rights and Welfare councilor, said otherwise. “Although aware tayo na may ganoong pondo yung UP for relocation, hindi pa fully consulted yung project sa mga communities natin,” Lagrimas added.

Infrastructure Haul

Since Concepcion took office in 2017, the university has been requesting an average of P17.38 billion under capital outlay (CO)—the part of the budget which funds infrastructure and equipment spending (see sidebar 1). In comparison, UP has only proposed P7.54 billion for CO, on average, during the terms of former UP Presidents Alfredo Pascual and Emerlinda Roman.

Among UP’s planned projects for 2023 are the construction of the UP Visayas Tacloban College Sta. Elena Campus (P1.8 billion), UP Manila National Institute of Health (P1.3 billion), UPD College of Education annex building (P900 million), and the PGH Multi-Specialty building (P200 million) (see sidebar 2).

In the last six years when UP has pursued higher infrastructure spending, UP communities have faced several threats of demolition. In 2019, residents of Pook Malinis were threatened by blue guards that their homes would be demolished to make way for the construction of a parking lot. That year, UP proposed the third-highest budget for infrastructure in a decade.

Infrastructure development should not be at the expense of UP communities’ welfare, Lagrimas said, adding that while he sees the need to improve academic facilities, the UP administration should first ensure that they would provide decent on-site relocation for the residents. 

While UP proposed P50-million funding for the communities’ relocation, Lagrimas said that it is still unclear whether the project would satisfy the demands of the UP communities. Aside from merely building relocation sites, Lagrimas said that the university should ensure that their new homes will be near to their sources of livelihood and will have sufficient basic utilities.

“Yung budget sa relocation, dapat tanungin kung para saan at kanino ito gagamitin. Kasi kung ang goal lang nito ay paalisin yung mga pamilya para sa infrastructure projects without considering their welfare, dapat itong tutulan,” Lagrimas said.

Private Interests

Under Concepcion’s watch, there have been numerous threats to displace the families living inside UPD. In 2020, personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways demolished homes at Pook Village C without presenting a demolition order to the residents.

In the same year, the UP Board of Regents (BOR) declared 9.5 hectares of land in UP Arboretum, where some families have resided for years, as an “academic support zone” for the PGH Diliman project. A year later, the Diliman Legal Office issued a cease-and-desist order against the farmers at Pook Aguinaldo, banning them from farming the area though it had already been the community’s source of livelihood since the 1700’s.

These threats to demolish UP communities, Lagrimas said, are the result of the UP Master Development Plan (MDP). Conceptualized during Pascual’s term, the MDP envisions a “sustainable” UP Diliman campus. But for Lagrimas, the MDP has only allowed corporations, such as Ayala Land Inc., to profit off UP lands.

“Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin nilalabas ng admin at wala pa ring consultation na nagaganap kung ano ba talaga yung nilalaman nito (MDP),” Lagrimas said.

While the university has a relocation program for the residents affected by the MDP, there is no guarantee that it will appear in the final UP budget. The university’s budget proposal will still be reviewed by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). And in the decade, DBM, on average, has only approved around half of UP’s proposed budget (see sidebar 3).

The fate of UP’s budget will eventually be decided by the Marcos administration, who will legislate and approve the university’s final budget. Congress could start deliberating the 2023 budget as early as August. While Congress may approve some of UP’s construction projects, the looming budget deficit may also mean that other projects, such as the proposed relocation for the communities, might be canceled.

Should Congress reject UP’s additional budget request, Pernia said UP would tap “alternative funding sources” to continue the relocation project. Aside from the annual budget, UP also receives additional income from its leased lands, grants, and donations. However, these funds have only added around P1 billion to UP’s operating budget of P23 billion last year.

Instead of forcing UP residents to relocate, Lagrimas pointed out that the university could just build structures in other vacant spaces on the campus so that there will be no need to displace the families. Meanwhile, Lagrimas said that UPD Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo has already pledged to endorse USC’s proposal of including sectoral representatives in all meetings regarding the MDP.

It is the BOR, however, that decides how to fund and materialize the MDP. The BOR also has the power to decide whether to continue the university’s land use policy it approved in 2014 or to junk the MDP.

“Kung matuloy man yung relocation projects ng UP without sufficient consultation, lagi naman tayong handa na magkasa ng mobilizations,” Lagrimas said. “Yun ang challenge sa upcoming student council–hindi dapat hahayaan na mapapabayaan yung coordination natin with the communities, sa admin, at sa iba pang networks natin.” ●

Infographics by Andrea Medina