Palace orders quicker procurement of education-related resources

Malacañang on Friday urged agencies to fast-track the procurement of education-related resources, including goods, personnel, and facilities, to ensure timely delivery under the 2026 national budget.

Executive Secretary Ralph Recto said the government will require regular progress reports from agencies to prevent delays, describing it as “some sort of grading period so problem areas can be troubleshot immediately.”

The directive follows instructions from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to closely oversee the entire procurement process. “Kailangan ng catch-up dito, kaya ang utos ng Pangulo ay i-monitor ng mabuti, at huwag lubayan sa paghingi ng resulta,” Recto said.

Under the 2026 national budget, around P1.345 trillion has been allocated to the education sector—from preschool to postgraduate—equivalent to 4.36 percent of gross domestic product, aimed at addressing learning gaps.

“This historic high spending should not be squandered to slow procurement. What is in the budget must leapfrog to classrooms,” he said.

Recto identified classrooms, teachers, and learning materials as among the priority items in what he referred to as the government’s “school shopping cart.”

“For example, the purchase of P120.17 million textbooks and instructional materials are funded in this year’s budget. Plus 121,000 laptops. The rule should be what is budgeted for one fiscal year must be delivered within one school year,” Recto said.

He added that reforms are being implemented to address delays in classroom construction, which he described as a recurring issue. “We have partnered with local governments for them to do the actual construction. There will no longer be a DPWH monopoly on this. Let the stakeholders themselves build what will directly benefit them,” Recto said.

Recto noted that the hiring of teachers should be done faster, as it does not involve long timelines. He said the 65,184 new teaching and non-teaching positions funded under the 2026 budget can be filled immediately.

“We are hiring 179 new DepEd personnel daily, merit-based, but fast-tracked. Some government vacancies can be filled later or never but teacher hiring in areas where there are critical shortages is something that cannot be postponed,” he said.

For higher education, Recto said infrastructure projects will continue to support around 1.28 million students enrolled primarily in state universities.

“Hindi sapat na simpleng isailalim lang ang 527,542 students sa Free Higher Education Program, o kaya magbenepisyo sa Tunong Dunong Program ang 354,000 na estudyante, o yung 20,000 na Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholars,” he said.

“Kailangan din ng mga pasilidad para sa kanila. Hindi sapat ang libre, dapat quality. Providing access is one thing. Kailangan mahusay din,” Recto added.