DepEd twits ACT for ‘claiming credit’ in initiating funds for admin buildings

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) called out a teachers’ group representative for “claiming credit” in the agency’s initiative to include the construction of administration buildings in its 2020 budget proposal.

“DepEd underscores that its funding request for the construction of administration buildings was based on its awareness of the needs on the ground,” DepEd said Monday in a statement.

The DepEd was reacting to Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Secretary General Raymond Basilio’s social media post saying their group prompted the department to include administration buildings fundings in its budget proposal.

“Dahil din sa ating sama samang pagkilos ay ating naitulak ang DepEd na isama sa kanilang budget para sa 2020 ang paggawa ng mga permanente at maayos na faculty rooms!” Basilio said in a Facebook post over the weekend.

“The Department hopes Mr. Basilio will stop misleading our teachers and the public by claiming credit for DepEd’s initiative, while portraying that the Department is not doing anything about the challenges in the education sector,” DepEd said.

DepEd set the record straight that even before the incident on comfort room-turned-faculty office went viral, a funding for administration buildings have already been requested.

“Last May 21, before the faculty room incident in Bacoor went viral and before the resulting protest of ACT, the Department already presented and defended its 2020 Tier 2 proposal to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM),” DepEd said.

“Included in the proposal was DepEd’s request for P24.98 billion to enable the construction of the initial batch of administration buildings, which will house the principal’s office, faculty room, guidance room, library, and school supplies and equipment storage during calamities. The preparation for the proposal came much earlier,” it added. (Editor: Julie Espinosa)