5 days Ago
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. can increase the 2025 budget of the Department of Education (DepEd) by using billions of pesos worth of unspent funds from previous years, Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero said. In a text message, Escudero pointed to DepEd's "savings or unspent items" in its 2024 budget that Marcos could tap to hike the reduced 2025 budget of the department.
"The President can augment any item in the budget from savings or unspent items in the budget...
Madami naman po source to augment (There are a lot of sources for budget augmentation). DepEd and its Secretary should know because the submissions for the budget deliberations on their own dismal fund utilization came from them," Escudero said. According to Escudero, the following are the "good example of savings or unspent items" in the DepEd: Last week, former Senate finance committee chairman and now DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara expressed dismay over the P12-billion cut in the agency's budget under the final version of the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
According to Angara, the majority of the P12 billion was for the computerization program of the DepEd. Several senators also expressed concern over the reduction in the proposed budget for DepEd in 2025, warning of possible issues in the constitutionality of the General Appropriations Bill. The 1987 Constitution states that "[t]he State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education .
" Senate finance committee chairperson Grace Poe defended the 2025 national budget and insisted that education remains a top priority . In an interview on Monday, Marcos said he plans to restore budget cuts in the DepEd after the bicameral conference committee reduced the allocation by P10 billion. — VDV, GMA Integrated News.
