What we know so far: DepEd’s P12 billion ‘budget cut’
MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara accused both chambers of Congress last week of sabotaging the Department of Education’s plans to get more computers into public schools after lawmakers stripped P12 billion from his department’s proposed 2025 budget.
The bulk of the reduction approved by the bicam – P10 billion – was supposed to go to a computerization program meant to address classrooms’ digital needs across the country, Angara said in social media posts and in a chance interview last week.
Both Angara and his former colleague, Senate finance panel chairperson Sen. Grace Poe, have expressed contrasting opinions over whether the decrease in funds for a program riddled with utilization issues is justified.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. stepped into the fray today and promised to restore the funds. But with Congress having finalized the bicam report for the 2025 budget, the president’s pledge came without specifics on how exactly the budget would be recovered.
Two teacher groups have expressed frustration over what they see as an attempt to deprioritize education.
What exactly happened?
DepEd’s proposed P12 billion budget for computers
DepEd’s budget in the 2025 National Expenditure Program (the budget submitted by the Department of Budget and Management to Congress for review) allocated P12.36 billion for its computerization program.
These funds, at the most basic level, are intended to procure more laptops for teachers and provide smart televisions to public schools. But the overall computerization program aims to “upgrade and strengthen the ICT competencies of learners, teachers, school leaders and non-teaching personnel.”
In total, DepEd had asked for a budget of at least P793.18 billion next year, based on the NEP. This is at least P75.52 billion more than the budget the department received this year (P717.66 billion).
This was the figure that Angara and his team had defended in Congress during the budget deliberations of the House
