DepEd welcomes realigned P3-B budget

The Department of Education (DepEd) has welcomed the decision of the House of Representatives to realign P3 billion to its 2019 budget for the construction of technical and vocational laboratories in some public schools across the country.

Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said the realigned budget came from the P51.7 billion originally earmarked for various infrastructure projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways.

“It’s a welcome news and development for the department,” she said in a press briefing on Tuesday. “We have a lot of supplies and equipment (for technical and vocational classes) that will be delivered.”

Deliberations on the 2019 budget were affected at the House of Representatives earlier this month following the discovery of the P51.7-billion allocation for infrastructure programs for select regions.

The funding – dubbed as the “parked pork barrel” – were later realigned to agencies and programs that suffered massive cuts in the proposed 2019 budget.

Among them is the DepEd, whose P579.419-billion budget this year may drop to P527.714 billion in 2019.

Education Secretary Leonor Briones had explained earlier that the budget cut is due to the proposed implementation of the cash-based budgeting system, which would require agencies to fully utilize all funds by the end of the year.

Projects affected by the cut include the construction of new school facilities, procurement of learning materials and laboratories as well as the school-based feeding and computerization programs.

Sevilla said senators have also given their assurance to look for ways to increase the budget allocation for other programs of the department.

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