DepEd has ‘enough funds’ for programs in 2021 —DBM

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) assured that critical programs of the Department of Education (DepEd) have been allotted with "enough funds" under the proposed 2021 General Appropriations Act.

DepEd will get the biggest allocation from among the government departments with P606.5 billion, an 18 percent jump from its current year's budget of P510 billion.

"We have allocated enough funds for expenditure items on education under the proposed budget of the Deped," Budget Undersecretary Rolando Toledo said.

"Specifically, P24.1 billion  is allocated for the provision and maintenance of Basic Education Facilities; P16.07 billion for the development and reproduction of learning resources under BE-LCP (Learning Continuity Plan); and P26.27 billion for the Education Service Contracting for Junior High School and the Senior High School Voucher Programs," Toledo explained.

During a House of Representatives panel deliberations on Tuesday, DepEd Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla said the department initially submitted a budget proposal of P1.1 trillion, but the DBM slashed it to P606.5 billion. 

Sought for comment, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said that the DepEd’s proposed 2021 budget increased by 18% from P510 billion under the fiscal year 2020 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

“If the comparison will be based on the agency’s proposal, then it will yield a reduction,” Avisado said.

The proposed P606.5-billion DepEd budget next year, excludes P25.8 billion lodged under the unprogrammed appropriations for additional DepEd programs/projects, according to the Budget chief.

DBM explained that it allotted the DepEd with around P25 billion unprogrammed appropriations to support its vouchers programs, Last Mile Schools Program, conservation and restoration of heritage schools, among others.

Unprogrammed funds can be tapped when at least one of the following conditions are met: when there are excess revenue collections or when there are new revenue collections.

“Despite the limited fiscal space, the Education budget [DepEd plus CHED (Commission on Higher Education) and TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority)] still receives the highest allocation consistent with the provision of the Constitution,” Avisado said.

Based on the DBM’s proposed P4.5-trillion budget summary, the education sector - comprised of DepEd, state colleges and universities, CHED, and TESDA - received the highest allocation of P754.4 billion, higher than the P650.2-billion allocation under the 2020 GAA.

CHED gets 6.7% of the budget for the education sector at P50.9 billion and the TESDA gets P13.7 billion or 1.8% of the allocation.

State universities and colleges would be given the remaining 11% of the budget pie for education at P83.3 billion.

For her part, Education Secretary Leonor Briones earlier said the DepEd understands the “very tough decisions” that the DBM has to make in order to efficiently use the proposed P4.5 trillion national budget for 2021.

Under DBM rules, a lower budget for an agency is recommended than what is proposed due lack of supporting documents for some of the new programs/activities/projects (PAPs) planned to be implemented in the next fiscal as well as lack of supporting details to justify the increase.

The Budget department also considers a department or an agency’s absorptive capacity and budget utilization.—LDF, GMA News