Angara: 2027 DepEd budget lower due to infra being defunded

MANILA, Philippines — The reason why it appears that the Department of Education (DepEd) has a lower proposed allocation for 2027 compared to the actual 2026 budget is because of the flood control scandal, which led to the defunding of infrastructure projects, Education Secretary Sonny Angara clarified. Angara, at the House of Representatives’ committee on appropriations hearing on Monday regarding DepEd’s proposed budget, was asked by Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice as to why several of the department’s programs under the 2027 National Expenditures Program (NEP) have suffered budget cuts. The NEP is the proposed budget of the entire government, submitted by the executive branch to Congress for its deliberation. Article continues after this advertisement In response, Angara said that the education sector was one of the recipients of the P200 billion that was removed from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) during the budget deliberations for 2026, as an after-effect of the flood control scandal. “Tama po kayo, malaki ho ang bawas sa budget, pero naiintindihan din po natin ’yong konteksto ng malaking budget ng 2026 na bunga din po, kumbaga, bonanza ng flood control dahil ’yong P200 billion na napunta po sa edukasyon at sa health, and hopefully magpatuloy po,” Angara said. (You are correct in saying that a huge chunk of the budget was slashed, but we also understand the context behind the bigger budget in 2026, which was brought by a bonanza due to the flood control mess because P200 billion went to the education sector and health, and hopefully this continues.) Angara was referring to the decision of the Budget Amendments Review Sub-committee (BARSc), a sub-panel of the committee on appropriations, to reallocate P255.5 billion of the funds originally meant for the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to education, health, and social services. The BARSc was created as one of the budgetary reforms initiated in response to the flood control scandal. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Educ sector may get additional P37-B for 2026 after sub-panel approves hike The BARSc’s proposed amendments were incorporated into the General Appropriations Bill (GAB), or the budget bill, which eventually turns into the General Appropriations Act (GAA) once the House and the Senate’s final version is signed by the President into law. Article continues after this advertisement Under the 2027 NEP, DepEd and its attached agencies—the National Book Development Board, the National Council for Children’s Television, the National Museum, the Philippine High School for the Arts, the Teacher Education Council, and the National Academy of Sports—got a total proposed budget of P975.96 billion. Angara noted in his report that this is lower by P39.34 billion, or 3.88 percent, when compared to the actual 2026 budget, or the allocation for DepEd under the GAA, which was at P1.012 trillion—the highest-ever that the department got. However, during the same presentation, Angara also pointed out that the proposed DepEd budget for 2027 remains higher than the allocation under the 2026 NEP, which was at P928.5 billion. School-based feeding program But Erice said that if the NEP will be the basis, several programs’ funding has been reduced, like in the case of the school-based feeding program, which saw a 55 percent deduction—from P25.6 billion in 2026 to just P11.43 billion in 2027. “Alam ko po na very capable at napakagaling ng kalihim ng Department of Education, subalit ano kaya ang magagawa ng ating kalihim kung napakalaki ng bawas sa kanyang budget. Nakita ko, napansin ko po sa basic education facilities na negative 64.2 percent. Government assistance to senior high school voucher program, 100 percent, wala po,” he said. (I know that our Education Secretary is very capable and has been working well, but what will he be able to do if there is a huge budget deduction? I saw that the basic education facilities were at negative 64.2 percent. Government assistance to the senior high school voucher program (negative) 100 percent; it’s gone.) “School-based feeding program, negative 55 percent. Textbook and other instructional materials, negative 66.8 percent. This is compared to the 2026 GAA,” he added. READ: Over P1-T budget for education an investment for future – solons Angara said they hope there would be additional funding for the school-based feeding program so that they can merely maintain the 2026 level, as this has been cited by different international bodies as a good step in ensuring children’s holistic development. “So with the feeding program, for example, we requested additional funding so that we can maintain this year’s level, because this year, aside from universal kindergarten, all children will be given food, including Grade 1,” Angara said. “So Unicef (United Nations Children’s Fund) and other international organizations saw the Philippines’ commitment to foundational learning and holistic approach to learning. So I hope it is put back,” he added. According to Angara, not being able to fund the school-based feeding program would render the initiative useless, as there have been cases where students who gain weight lose it again eventually once the hot meals stop rolling out. “What we saw is that when we weigh children, we see that the program is very successful because they gain weight, but if there are holes in the implementation or if there are portions of the school year that they are not fed, they return to their previous weight,” he said. “And of course the evidence is very strong also for improved learning outcomes, especially for younger years. That’s why we’re focusing on kindergarten and Grade 1. So I hope funding is placed back,” he added. During the deliberations for the 2026 budget, the BARSc decided to allocate over P12 billion for DepEd’s school-based feeding program. READ: Solons: DepEd feeding program fund still highest ever despite P50-M cut However, it was increased to P25.6 billion before it was ratified by Congress and enacted by the President. READ: DepEd invests record P25.6B to feed 4.6M learners Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. Aside from the school-based feeding program, another initiative that lost allocation in the 2027 NEP is the DepEd’s Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, which seeks to assist students having problems with reading, mathematics, and science. /cb