Of how long we yearned to tread and stride the grandeur of MSU-Gensan—the frolic intramurals, the immanence of college life, and even the least of relish we get to have from entering the "Dakilang Pamantasan," is the same story of how we longed to experience a new gymnasium that would cater to our highly anticipated institutional events. It is no doubt that most, if not all, students would certainly ask about the undone structure situated in the quadrangle of the institution. It could be recalled that during the activities of the first semester of the academic year 2022-2023, such as the opening salvo, general assemblies, and intramurals, the current university gymnasium could not accommodate the growing population of students and faculty. The limited capacity is a concern, and consequently, most of us have high hopes about its potential to become a better venue for conducting such huge events.
Tracing the historical foundation of the said project, it was at the time of former chancellor Atty. Abdurahman T. Canacan that the administration requested for the infrastructure to be built on the ground of the university through the funding of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), which is estimated at around P50 million. To clear it out, it was not part of the MSU-Gensan General Appropriations Act, thereby all transactions, management, and implementation were under the control of DPWH. In 2019, Phase 1 of the construction was carried out under the chancellorship of the late Dr. Anshari Ali. Yet a black swan event had brought a dramatic change to the status quo in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic that halted the million peso Phase 2 allocation.
The enactment of RA 11469, or the "Bayanihan to Heal as One Act," gave former president Rodrigo Duterte the authority to redirect funds from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA) towards initiatives to combat the pandemic's effects. With the given pecuniary constraints faced by the national administration during the biological warfare, Vice-Chancellor for Planning and Development Shiela Loable elucidated during the interview that the Department of Budget and Management had been mandated to draw back the capital outlays to be used as funds in the course of the pandemic; hence, the school administration was held by the scruff of the neck due to the monetary impediment they had to face.
On the same note, she stated that the MSU-GSC alone could not fund the project given the increase in scholarship grantees at the time of the health crisis, which had put a crux on the budget apportionment of the office. Based on her statement, they were left with a small chunk of the pie after the deduction of stipends for the academic, cultural, and co-curricular scholarships. As per the estimates, in 2019, the scholarship fund accounted for around P3 million; in the following year, it rocketed to P7 million; and in 2021, it approximately swelled to P19 million. These are the facts where the office lied down their stand as to why there is still no single carpenter striking nails on the MSU quadrangle and also to beat some speculations arising from the deferred building construction.
In light of the effort made by the current management, Vice Chancellor Loable had put forward that they do not lose momentum in lobbying for the said project in higher authorities such as NEDA as well as with the posting senators and members of the House of Representatives. Along with the interview, Ms. Loable mentioned that Phase 2 of the completion of the university gymnasium is the top priority for the 2024 Program Budget Matrix with a proposed PHP 75 million fund. Despite its urgency and prioritization among the university projects, it is still bound to the national government if they approve the proposal since it is not anchored with the current 10-point policy agenda, and at the same rate, the Mandanas ruling also placed a substantial reformation on administrative financial autonomy on the current state of the nation. Now, the job is left to the higher governing body.
Thus, it could be inferred that the administration did not just let the iron rust. It just happened that refractory circumstances prompted the process. On the brighter side, the office expressed hope that by 2024, the scaffolding of new beginnings will be attached to the much-awaited MSU gymnasium. The student body yearned for this, and we hoped this would not be a promise of many tomorrows. We will set our eyes on this.
Right now, the waiting game resumes.
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