Precious Grace Nery 
In his third State of the Nation Address, President Bongbong Marcos Jr. mentioned Samar State University’s second consecutive year of securing the top spot, ranking first in digitally pioneering Research and Development project entries.
Said recognition is appreciated by the SSU community and faculty alike, yet it is important to consider the broader context of what it took to achieve these global rankings. Beyond this mention, there are more significant issues that need to be addressed.
On September 2023, it was noted that SSU was one of the 36 state universities and colleges (SUCs) in the Philippines that urged lawmakers to restore the ₱6 billion cut from their proposed budget for the upcoming year and to further increase the Higher Education budget for fiscal year 2024. Further, on December 2023, billions in funding for SUCs were scheduled to be restored, although some deficits still persist.
(comic by Gwyneth Trenyce Tan | The Tradesman)
