Are local colleges and universities unstable institutions?

The rapid expansion of local colleges and universities (LUCs) since the passage of the Local Government Code of 1992 has been both a boom and a bane for higher education.

- POPOY DE VERA

While most Filipinos are familiar with state universities and colleges (SUCs) whose establishment can be traced to the Americans when they colonized the country, many don't know that there are actually more LUCs than SUCs now, and the unabated creation of more LUCs appears impossible to stop.

There are now 173 LUCs in the country located in all regions except the Cordillera Administrative Region and BARMM. More than 500,000 free higher education beneficiaries are enrolled in LUCs in 2025-2026.

While it may be true that LUCs often serve as the last resort for thousands of aspiring young Filipinos who are unable to enroll in SUCs, given their limited carrying capacity, it is equally true that the governance of LUCs presents significant challenges. These issues directly affect the quality of education, institutional continuity and long-term development.

Unlike SUCs whose operations, policies and leadership appointments are governed by the Higher Education Modernization Act of 1997 (RA 8292), LUCs are created by local ordinances and operate under the authority of the LGUs. The local chief executive (governors and mayors) chairs the Board of Trustees/Regents and the LUC president is an employee of the local government unit. This structure leaves LUCs vulnerable to the shifting tides of local politics.

Congress has been unwilling or unable to pass a law that rationalizes and strengthens the governance framework for LUCs. The LUC rationalization bill passed the House of Representatives on third reading in the 19th Congress but its counterpart bill, SBN 2269 (Villar), failed to hurdle committee deliberations.