Palace: Funds for purchase of DepEd vehicles approved before COVID-19 crisis

Malacañang on Monday defended the Department of Education’s (DepEd) purchase of new service vehicles, saying the funds for the project were allocated before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country.

The Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) said it recently delivered 166 units of Strada 4×4 MT to DepEd in San Fernando, Pampanga that will be used by the department’s field engineers for their field inspections.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers, however, said the Deped should have addressed the “severe shortages in basic learning needs” or the plight of teachers who “have long been climbing mountains on foot or on-board risky motorbikes.”

"Nakakahiya naman sa mga guro nating tumatawid ng mga bundok, maihatid lang ang modules. Lugi pa sa pamasahe sa nakukuhang special hardship allowance, kung meron man," ACT-Philippines said in a Facebook post.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the procurement of the service vehicles has long been on the drawing board.

“Lahat po ng napo-procure sa taong ito eh matagal na po iyong nasa drawing board,” he said at a news conference.

“Itong pagbili po ng transportasyon ng DepEd, 2016 pa po iyan na-identify na pangangailangan ng DepEd at ngayon lang po iyan nabili pero iyan po ay included sa 2019 budget.”

The units are on top of initial 88 trucks that were delivered in December last year, bringing the total purchased vehicles to 254 units, according to the MMPC.—AOL, GMA News