MANILA, Philippines — Thousands of Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) students marked the opening of the academic year not only by returning to classrooms, but by taking their demands straight to the streets.
An estimated 3,000 students joined PUP’s annual “First Day Fight 2026” protest in Manila on Saturday, August 22, calling for greater government funding for public education, stronger student welfare programs, and opposing a proposal that would strengthen PUP’s status as the country’s National Polytechnic University.
The demonstration continued a long-standing activist tradition at the state university, where the first days of classes have repeatedly become a platform for students to raise concerns over education funding, accessibility and government policy.
Funding Fight Takes Center Stage
Behind the chants is a funding issue that PUP administrators themselves have publicly acknowledged.
PUP President Manuel M. Muhi said earlier this year that the university was seeking approximately ₱15.7 billion for 2027, higher than its roughly ₱12.7-billion request for 2026.
Yet PUP received only about ₱3.5 billion under the 2026 General Appropriations Act, or less than one-third of what the university had originally requested. Muhi cited inflation, rising electricity expenses, the need for additional faculty members and a growing student population among the reasons PUP needs considerably more resources.
That funding gap gives additional context to the students’ First Day Fight demand for increased state support.
It also comes as Congress begins deliberations on the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.
The Department of Budget and Management says social services would receive the largest portion of the proposed spending plan at ₱2.456 trillion, while the Department of Education would receive ₱976 billion, the largest allocation among national government departments.
The administration has described education as one of the central priorities of the proposed budget, but students and education advocates continue to argue that headline national figures do not automatically resolve funding shortages experienced by individual state universities.
Why Students Are Watching the ‘National Polytechnic University’ Proposal
Another major issue raised during the protest was legislation seeking to strengthen PUP as the country’s National Polytechnic University.
A new measure, House Bill 10221, was filed on 27 July 2026 by Rep. Eduardo “Bro. Eddie” Villanueva. It seeks to strengthen PUP as the Philippines’ first National Polytechnic University and, as of late August, is pending before the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.
The idea itself is not new.
During the previous Congress, Senate Bill 2669 sought to overhaul PUP’s charter, strengthen the university as a National Polytechnic University, expand its academic mandate and give it greater institutional and financial autonomy. The Senate approved that measure on third and final reading in February 2025.
Supporters have argued that charter reform could give PUP more flexibility, strengthen research and infrastructure and modernize a university whose responsibilities and student population have expanded significantly.
But concerns have emerged within the PUP community over how any new charter would affect public funding and the institution’s long-standing mandate to provide accessible education.
At a PUP town hall in June 2026, students, employees, faculty members and university officials expressed differing views about the National Polytechnic University proposal. Student representatives warned that without firm guarantees of increased government appropriations, expanded authority to generate income or enter partnerships could make the university increasingly dependent on commercial activities and private-sector arrangements.
Those concerns help explain why a measure that appears, on its face, to elevate PUP’s national status has nevertheless drawn resistance from some student groups.
Government Says Education Remains a Priority
The national government, meanwhile, maintains that education remains one of the central pillars of its spending program.
The proposed 2027 budget allocates the biggest departmental share to DepEd and includes broader funding for health, social protection, infrastructure and economic development. The House Committee on Appropriations has also pledged to examine whether the proposed ₱7.2-trillion budget produces tangible improvements in education and other basic services.
That creates the policy debate now playing out at PUP: How much government investment is enough for a public university expected to educate tens of thousands of students while keeping higher education accessible?
For PUP students joining First Day Fight, the answer is clear — the university needs substantially more direct state support.
More Than a First-Day Tradition
The August 22 protest therefore represents more than a ceremonial start to another school year.
It brings together several unresolved questions confronting Philippine public higher education: whether state universities receive enough funding, whether infrastructure and faculty expansion can keep pace with enrollment, and whether greater institutional autonomy strengthens public education or places more pressure on universities to generate their own resources.
For thousands of PUP students, their first major activity of the academic year was not simply finding classrooms or meeting professors.
It was demanding an answer to those questions.
And with the 2027 national budget now under congressional scrutiny and a fresh National Polytechnic University bill pending in the House, the fight that began on PUP’s first day could soon move from the campus gates to the halls of Congress.
Why This Matters
PUP’s funding debate has national implications. The university requested roughly ₱15.7 billion for 2027 after receiving about ₱3.5 billion in 2026, highlighting the difference between what one of the country’s largest state universities says it needs and what government appropriations have provided.
At the same time, lawmakers are considering legislation that could reshape PUP’s institutional structure and financial powers. The outcome could determine not only how the university is governed, but also how much of its future development remains directly dependent on government appropriations.
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