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MANILA, Philippines — House of Representatives lawmakers have called out the past Department of Education (DepEd) administration for its inability to deliver laptops in 2023 — resulting in a low utilization of its budget.
At the hearing of the House committee on appropriations regarding DepEd’s proposed budget for 2025, Batangas 2nd District Rep. Gerville Lusistro asked department officials if a Commission on Audit (COA) report about low budget utilization was correct, particularly about the DepEd Computerization Program (DCP).
In response, Director Ferdinand Pitagan confirmed that only P2.18 billion out of P11.36 billion funds for computers, laptops, and smart television sets — items crucial for e-learning — were spent.
“Now, we have this P11 billion budget. You requested this for 2023. Why have you disbursed only up to P2 billion only?” Luistro asked. “It’s hard for me to appreciate the explanation that your priority is continuing, which is the budget from 2022.”
After Pitagan said that they are still focusing on using the funds allocated in 2022, Luistro then asked why the agency requested for a P11 billion fund for their DCP if they cannot use it in 2023.
“Why, therefore, did you request for P11 billion for 2023 if you’re going to say now that your priority is 2022, that’s why you didn’t use the 2023 (budget)? You know, Mr. Resource Speaker, in our area in Batangas, people have been asking us to help students, teachers, and even PTA (parent-teacher association) officers with their computer needs,” she said.
“That is almost saying (that it is) impossible to facilitate an e-learning system having one computer for 30 teachers,” she added.
Undelivered laptops
Appropriations senior vice chair and Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo meanwhile said that it’s impossible for DepEd to claim that 44,638 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) packages were delivered as of now, since the COA itself called out the department for low utilizations.
“What was indicated is that there are 44,638 ICT packages for delivery. A while ago our Usec was saying that this is the delivered figure, but we looked at the data, it would not tally to 44,000. For 2023, the total is 11,013, and then for 2024, it’s 5,567. So it would really not tally to 44,638,” Quimbo said.
“So the question there is if the COA report as of end-2023 says zero delivered, it seems impossible for us to be able to deliver 44,000 today. Of course if that’s the case, if you achieved that please explain because we will all clap for you, but based on your report, 5,567 plus 11,013 delivered is so far from your data. So are you trying to say that this 44,638, how far are you counting, from 2015?” she asked.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara appealed that Pitagan be allowed to answer, Quimbo allowed it since Angara had not been in the position when the COA report was released.
The COA observation came when Vice President Sara Duterte still headed DepEd.
Pitagan then said that the total figure of 44,638 ICT packages was reached by combining 2023 and 2024 figures. However, Quimbo said that Pitagan was referring to procured ICT packages — and not equipment delivered to schools across the country.
“Ma’am the 44,638 packages, this is a combination of the 2023 package — that’s 26,692 plus the 2024 package of 17,943,” Pitagan said.
“Madam Chair I would like to manifest na that what the Usec is referring to is procured, which is different from delivered. There’s a huge difference, it’s an ocean of difference. So that’s what COA is saying, you procured items but you did not deliver,” Quimbo noted.
Luistro on the other hand blamed the low delivery rate of these ICT packages as a factor for the Philippines’ poor performance at the Programme for International Student Assessment.
The education sector has faced several problems with regards to the provision of quality education. In December 2023, the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa) said that Filipino students who took part in their assessment were five to six years behind in mathematics, science, and reading compared to their 15-year-old counterparts from most of the participating countries.
READ: PISA shows PH students ‘5 to 6 years’ behind
Then just this June — just before Duterte resigned — Pisa said that Filipino students logged a mean score of 14 on the creative thinking performance of 15-year-old students — the second-lowest among 64 ranked countries.