Sen. Grace Poe (Senate Public Relations and Information Bureau)
The head of the Senate panel that deliberated on the P6.352-trillion national budget clarified on Friday that the annual spending program of the Department of Education (DepEd) next year had actually increased by P20 billion.
In the final version of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) approved by the bicameral conference committee on Wednesday, DepEd would receive P737 billion, up from its current yearly outlay of P717 billion, Sen. Grace Poe said.
Poe, who chairs the Senate finance committee, was reacting to a statement issued by Education Secretary and former Sen. Sonny Angara, who expressed dismay over the decision of his former Senate colleagues to cut the DepEd allotment.
Funds still available
Under the bicam-approved GAA, the department suffered a P12-billion budget cut from the amount approved by the Senate on Nov. 26.
READ: COA to DepEd: Return P12.3-B misused budget
Angara, who headed the finance committee before President Marcos tapped him to lead DepEd in July, said Congress removed P10 billion particularly from the agency’s program for the provision of more computers and gadgets for students in public schools.
But according to Poe, “Funds are still available for the purchase of computers and the overall budget of DepEd increased … This is a testament to our continuing commitment to prioritize the education sector in line with the mission of our new secretary.”
In a Viber message, she said lawmakers actually “prioritized” the needs of teachers and students of public elementary and high schools.
Supplies allowance doubled
“This is why we more than doubled the budget for teaching supplies allowance from P4.825 billion in 2024 to P9.948 billion next year,” the senator said.
“Priorities had to be weighed and certain cuts on some programs had to be made. Ultimately, our goal is to ensure that every peso allocated serves the real needs of our educators and learners.
Poe also pointed out one of the findings of the Commission on Audit that DepEd only used half of its allocation for its computerization program last year. The agency was concurrently headed by Vice President Sara Duterte at the time.
“We must see to it that all of the program’s systemic problems, such as procurement delays, be addressed first before allocating the corresponding budget increase,” Poe added. INQ