The truth about the vetoed PUP bill

The bill converting the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) into the National Polytechnic University of the Philippines (NPUP) was vetoed by President Bongbong Marcos on July 11, 2025, citing the university’s failure to comply with CHED requirements.

- POPOY DE VERA

PCO’s Claire Castro said, “Ang sinasabi pong bill ay na-veto ng Pangulo dahil nagkaroon po ng direktiba noon pa pong 2016 na dapat magkaroon ng assessment. At sa ngayon po, lumalabas na hindi po nagkaroon ng compliance para sa assessment ng nasabing paaralan.” (The President vetoed the bill because there was a directive in 2016 to do an assessment and it appears that there was no compliance with the assessment of the said university.)

The veto stirred a tempest among students, faculty and employees of PUP.

During the recent public hearing on the CHED budget, a grandstanding freshman congressman accused me of orchestrating the presidential veto. His lack of knowledge about the House and Senate committees on higher and technical education’s deliberations, as well as the extensive debates in the plenary over the past five years, is both shocking and irresponsible.

If he read the records of the House and Senate committee hearings, which are available in the congressional archives, he would find that I supported the conversion bill, provided that the issues raised in the past veto had been sufficiently addressed.

If he had only done his homework, he would have realized that I left the Commission on May 29, 2025, while the presidential veto was made on July 11, 2025.

On record, CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis wrote PBBM on June 16, 2025, requesting that the President veto the NPUP bill.

Let me revisit and clarify the issues related to the proposed NPUP bill.