16 Disyembre,2024 Lunes
15 days to 2025, Merry Christmas
Happy 21st anniversary, Servants of God in Jesus Christ Christian Ministries Incorporated, Rev. Nestor Sadim, Rev. Manuel Soliman, Director Jorge Lopez
No to Divorce!!!
Get well soon Nanay Angelita Santiago-Lopez
No to SOGIE bill
PM for any hospital discharge problem
FMJ to fix DepEd budget cut – Angara
By Nidz Godino
“This, despite the President’s SONA ,State of the Nation Address where he asked Congress to help bridge digital divide,” Department of Education, (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.has vowed to turn things around for DepEd, after both chambers of Congress cut DepEd’s proposed 2025 budget by P12 billion.
In statement, Angara lamented how lawmakers’ “promises and nice words” had led to budget cuts that he said could derail DepEd’s flagship computerization program.
Angara said budget cut was deviation from common practice among lawmakers to increase President’s proposed budget for education.
“In past years, Congress has increased the President’s proposed budget for DepEd and education…for whatever reason, nakalulungkot na hindi ito mauulit sa 2025 budget, pero ang maganda dito, mismong si President Bongbong ang nagsabi sa aming reremedyohan niya ito,” Angara said.
Bicameral conference committee last week reduced to P737 billion, from P748.65 billion, DepEd’s 2025 funding allocation in reconciled version of General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
Of the amount cut, P10 billion will be slashed from DepEd’s computerization program, aims to provide public schools with gadgets, equipment, software and training for teachers and students.
Meanwhile, public school teachers said cuts were contradictory to government’s commitment to deal with learning crisis.
“Decision to slash P12 billion from DepEd’s budget for 2025 amidst ongoing learning crisis starkly contradicts government’s commitment to prioritizing education, as mandated by Constitution,” Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) said.
Coalition chairman Benjo Basas said budget cuts on computerization program would be disservice to Filipino students, as deficit could have been used to fill massive digital gaps in public schools.
“By deprioritizing this initiative, Congress risks exacerbating existing inequalities and leaving millions of students unprepared for demands of modern, technology-driven world,” TDC said.
Basas said reduction also delivers blow to welfare of public school teachers “already overworked, underpaid, and often forced to shoulder classroom expenses out of their own pockets due to insufficient government support…teachers and learners are lifeblood of education system, yet their welfare is too often sidelined in favor of programs with limited impact or, at times, purely controversial…stakeholders must unite to demand higher education budget genuinely addresses sector’s needs… welfare of teachers, who form backbone of the system, and learners, who represent its future must never be compromised,” TDC added.
House Deputy Minority Leader and ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro strongly condemned Marcos administration’s P12-billion budget cut for DepEd, calling it clear manifestation of government’s anti-education and anti-poor policies.
Castro said students, teachers and education support personnel should not be made to suffer due to anomalies committed by Vice President and former DepEd secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio.
The House committee on good government and public accountability is investigating Duterte for her alleged misuse of confidential funds of Office of the Vice President (OVP) and DepEd when she was still its secretary.
“This budget cut is completely unacceptable and shows where this administration’s priorities truly lie…instead of working towards UN-recommended education budget of six percent of GDP, Marcos Jr. administration is doing opposite by slashing vital education funds, how can we resolve learning crisis if there is cut in the budget for education… P10 billion cut in computerization program is big loss to our students who are desperate to cope with digital age,” Castro said.
The progressive lawmaker pointed out that while previous leadership of DepEd was marred with controversies, solution is not to punish entire education sector through budget cuts.
“Students, teachers and education support personnel must not suffer because of anomalies committed by former secretary Duterte… answer to corruption is not to decrease funding, but to strengthen accountability measures and increase support for our learners,” Castro said.
For his part, former ACT Teachers party-list representative and now its first nominee Antonio Tinio said “P10-billion cut from computerization program would have provided thousands of students access to digital learning tools…this administration talks about economic recovery, but how can we achieve that when we’re compromising our children’s future, we demand immediate restoration of P12 billion budget cut, and call for significant increase in education funding…education is right, not privilege,if there is fund for confidential funds and infrastructure projects, there must be fund for education of our youth,” he added.
Meanwhile, Makati 2nd District Rep. Luis Campos Jr. has welcomed the President’s directive to increase from P18,000 to P20,000 Service Recognition Incentive (SRI) for country’s 1,011,800 public school teachers and non-teaching staff.
In statement, Campos, vice chairman of House committee on appropriations, said increase in SRI for DepEd employees can be adequately funded by existing allocations in 2024 national budget, including Miscellaneous Personnel Benefits Fund (MPBF).
“We are all for grant of additional cash incentives and allowances to our teachers and non-teaching staff in recognition of their hard work and to help them cope with rising cost of living,” he said.
Campos said MPBF , lumpsum allocation in the budget can be used to fund deficiencies in authorized salaries, bonuses, allowances and similar personnel benefits of national government employees.
“Our estimate is that only around P2 billion is needed to cover increase in SRI of our teachers and non-teaching staff from P18,000 to P20,000 each,” he said.
Campos said MPBF has allocation of P29.7 billion in 2024 national budget, and another P163.3 billion in proposed 2025 GAB that Marcos is set to sign on Dec. 20.
He said he has been batting for payment of higher cash benefits to teachers to supplement their basic salaries.
The Makati congressman is the author of House Bill 7840, seeks to raise to P3,000 World Teacher’s Day Incentive Benefit that honors those engaged in teaching profession.
Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman previously said her office will ascertain funding mechanisms to finalize release of money for SRI of DepEd personnel.
ISKUP! 