BY WENDELL VIGILIA and ASHZEL HACHERO
LAWMAKERS can add a budget for special education in the proposed 2023 national budget when the National Expenditure Program (NEP) reaches the period of amendments during the plenary discussions at the House of Representatives.
House appropriations committee senior vice chair Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo said the inclusion of the budget for the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Special Education Program (SPED) is possible during the plenary debates.
“That’s why we’re taking up the NEP (National Expenditure Program), precisely to make adjustments because there’s no perfect budget,” Quimbo told the Laging Handa briefing.
“As they say, you need another pair of eyes to scrutinize the proposed budget of the Executive.”
Quimbo said it is good that concerns over the “zero budget” for SPED came to light because “some of our learners have special needs.”
DepEd data shows there are over 400,000 SPED students across the country.
“Hopefully, once we finish the schedule and we’re still on track, then we’ll have what we call a period of amendments, that’s the time when members can propose their respective amendments. This is obviously one area where we can address it, by way of an amendment,” she said.
The DepEd has received flak for not providing any allocation for the special program next year.
In a statement yesterday, the DepEd said it proposed a P532 million budget for the program next year, but this was not included in the NEP.
The agency said two other programs were excluded from the money measure.
“This is a recurring circumstance every year, and DepEd is not at a loss because we always work with members of Congress to find other ways to fund DepEd programs,” it said, adding there is no truth to claims, especially in social media, that it has deliberately excluded funding in the 2023 NEP for SPED.
DepEd spokesperson Michael Tan Poa said the SPED was funded under the 2021 General Appropriations Act amounting to P329 million.
For this year, Poa said the SPED budget got a P297 million funding under the 2021 NEP and this was later increased to P560 million under the 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA).
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) yesterday said the DepEd failed to provide sufficient documentation to support the budget allocation for the retention of the SPED.
The DBM said that while the DepEd did proposed the retention of the line item under the 2023 NEP, “no sufficient documentation was provided to support the same.”
The budget agency said that samples of insufficient documents include the details of the proposed amount with specific purposes, basis of computations/parameters, and status of the ongoing conversion and establishment of Inclusive Learning Resource Centers funded under 2021 and 2022 GAA.
“Moreover, please be informed that as of June 30, 2022, the SPED program under the 2022 GAA has an obligation rate of 1.13 percent, or only P6.35 million out of P560.202 million allocation. This funding provision will still be valid until December 31, 2023,” the DBM said.
The DBM also explained that during budget execution, items may be realigned and modified by the implementing agency to accommodate the requirements of any program that is in dire need of additional resources.
“Considering that there is around P1.216 billion surplus noted for the Programs, Activities, Projects – Operations of Schools – Elementary and Junior High Schools under DepEd Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, we deemed that the program support or additional allocation for the smooth implementation of the SPED may already be accommodated within the same program, and that a separate budget for the purpose may no longer be necessary,” the DBM said.
“Allow us to emphasize that the DBM puts primacy on the value of SPED of Filipino children with special needs. We give utmost importance in giving them access to quality education, so that their unique needs are adequately addressed. We believe that it is in supporting their needs that we are contributing to the holistic growth of our children,” the agency added.
CONFIDENTIAL FUNDS
Several sectors, including teachers’ groups have criticized the lack of funding for SPED next year considering that Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte has asked for P150 million in confidential funds for the department.
The amount is different from the P500 million in confidential funds that the Office of the Vice President was granted.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers said the confidential funds which Duterte told lawmakers last week was for “security-related” needs can be used instead to fill glaring shortages in public school supplies and equipment.
ACT said the amount can be used to purchase 150,000 armchairs, 3 million textbooks, or 4,286 laptops for teachers at P35,000 apiece.
Earlier, the DepEd also admitted that the country’s public school system needs an additional 41,000 classrooms, and if not for various intervention measures such as shifting class schedules, the number could even go as high as 90,000.
Duterte said the confidential funds would be used to address issues in the education sector that required the help of the security cluster, such as the “sexual grooming of learners,” “recruitment in terrorism and violent extremism,” and “drug use of DepEd employees.”
Yesterday, amid the continued criticism, the DepEd again issued a statement defending the confidential funds.
It said that confidential expenses are allowed for all civilian offices, including the DepEd.
“This has solid legal basis as provided under Joint Circular 2015-01 between the DBM, DILG DND, GCG and COA,” it said, at the same time reiterating that threats to the learning environment, safety, and security of DepEd personnel are interlocking with the mandate of support to the national security of civilian offices.
“Sexual abuse and all other forms of violence, graft, and corruption; involvement in illegal drugs of learners and personnel; recruitment to insurgency, terrorism, and violent extremism; child labor; child pornography; and recruitment to criminal activities, gangsterism, and financial and other scams, are just some of the pressing issues, which by their nature of being unlawful, need the support of surveillance and intelligence gathering to ensure that projects of DepEd are target-specific and will result in the broader protection of our personnel and learners, “ the DepEd said.
The department said the public must understand that it does not only face problems with access, equity, and quality education, but also has to contend with pressing issues on safety and security. — With Angela Celis
