THE COMMISSION on Audit (CoA) cited the uncollected amount of University of the Philippines’ (UP) Manila and Visayas campuses for the government’s free college education program. the Republic Act 10931 or Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, the amount needed for the implementation of the law is appropriated in the budget of Commission on Higher Education (CHED), which will then reimburse state universities and colleges. According to the CoA annual audit report, only P47.8 million out of the P230.35 million billed by the UP campuses to CHED for the Free Higher Education Program was released and reimbursed. UP Manila was flagged for “delayed or non-compliance with the required supporting documents” while come claims of UP Visayas were not recorded in accounting books. “The Audit Team of UP Visayas also included in her Audit Report that the amount of receivable account from CHED was not recorded in the books. This condition is also true in other campuses, because no guidelines yet has been set during the transitory period,” said CoA. The audit agency recommended that the universities follow up or make representations on the release of the funds. — Vince Angelo C. Ferreras

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