(INQUIRER FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) posted an over 90 percent utilization rate for its computerization program last year, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.Angara explained that there might have been some miscommunication concerning the agency’s utilization rate data.
“Dun naman sa utilization yung datos may konting miscommunication dahil ang utilization rate sa computerization program ay nasa 90 plus percent,” Angara said in an ambush interview on Monday.
(There might have been a slight miscommunication in the utilization data of the computerization program because it is at 90 plus percent.)
Angara made the clarification when asked about Senator Grace Poe’s statement last week revealing that the utilization rate of the computerization program was only at 50.07 percent last year and 11.92 percent as of June 2024.
Earlier, Angara disclosed that P10 billion was reduced from the DepEd’s computerization program, which he said could have been used to buy gadgets or computers for public school students.
Similarly, 1-Rider party-list Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez said the P10-billion reduction was primarily due to DepEd’s very low utilization rate of its previous funds for the procurement of information and communications technology (ICT) equipment.
A report from the Commission on Audit showed that DepEd disbursed only P2.075 billion of its P11.63-billion budget last year for ICT equipment.
“As former Senate finance committee chair, Secretary Angara knows that the law is clear: unused funds must be accounted for before new allocations can be made. Now that he’s education secretary, he should focus on fixing DepEd’s internal mess. Congress cannot turn a blind eye to these issues,” Gutierrez earlier said.
Also on Monday, Angara revealed that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. already instructed him to coordinate with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman in restoring the P10 billion cut from the agency’s 2025 budget.