DepEd seeks additional P149.67-billion budget for 2027

The Department of Education (DepEd) and its attached agencies have asked the Senate to restore and increase their funding by P149.67 billion under the proposed 2027 national budget, citing the need for additional resources for personnel, school security, and learning recovery programs.

DepEd Proper is seeking an additional P147.93 billion, while its attached agencies are requesting another P1.74 billion, officials said during a briefing before the Senate Subcommittee on Finance on Friday.

The attached agencies include the National Book Development Board, National Council for Children’s Television, National Museum of the Philippines, Philippine High School for the Arts, National Academy of Sports, and Teacher Education Council.

The House of Representatives-approved General Appropriations Bill (GAB) provides a combined P969.79 billion for DepEd and its attached agencies, P6.17 billion lower than the amount proposed under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

The requested additional funding would cover personnel improvements, metal detectors and perimeter fences for schools, and the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, among other priorities.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara sought P15.6 billion for the ARAL Program, which received no dedicated allocation in the proposed budget.

DepEd Undersecretary Carmela Oracion said the program aims to address learning gaps in reading, mathematics, and science, citing the country’s poor performance in international and national assessments.

“We know from international assessments and from national assessments that we have been doing very poorly over the years. And so it's very timely that the ARAL law was passed. And so now we have a clear basis for a program that will provide remediation for Reading, for Mathematics, and for Science po. Unfortunately, the law is unfunded,” Oracion said.

Senator Erwin Tulfo questioned the absence of a dedicated budget item for the program, stressing its importance to students, particularly those in remote and rural communities.

“Dito sa NEP ho ninyo zero. Eh kita mo naman ho during the past few years, mga estudyante natin parang nasa row four eh, kailangan ho, lalo na po siguro sa mga liblib na lugar, sa mga kanayunan, they need this,” Tulfo said.

Department of Budget and Management Director IV Vivien Labastilla explained that the program had no separate line item in the NEP but was covered under the budget for textbooks and other instructional materials.

“Zero po siya kasi wala po siyang line item,” Labastilla said.

“Pero may pondo po siya under the textbook and other instructional materials. So attribution po siya under the PAP.”

Meanwhile, Senate Subcommittee on Finance chairperson Senator Bam Aquino expressed concern over the reduction in DepEd’s budget under the House-approved spending measure, arguing that funding should prioritize education and the welfare of students.

Aquino cited the controversy surrounding flood control projects, saying the government should redirect funding from such projects toward school feeding programs and classrooms.

Aquino also called for raising education spending to 4% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Angara thanked the senator for supporting the proposal, noting that the target aligns with international recommendations for education spending.

“Magandang layunin ho yung 4 percent ho talaga, kasi yun talaga yung benchmark and it’s a minimum, it’s four to six percent ang recommendation ng UNESCO,” Angara said.

-Paraluman News