DepEd defends P134-B ‘wish list’ on top of P928.5-B 2026 budget request

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, defended its request for an additional P134.5 billion in unfunded priority programs before the Senate, even as lawmakers flagged government’s tight fiscal space and the reallocation of funds to flood control projects.

During the Senate hearing on DepEd’s proposed 2026 budget, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the agency’s proposed P928.5-billion 2026 budget remains insufficient to address the country’s pressing learning crisis, classroom shortage, and the need to improve both teacher welfare and student support services.

“We have a new wish list totaling P140 billion para kayo na po ang makapili alin yung gusto nyong pondohan dun sa wish list (we leave it to you to choose which you prefer to fund from the wish list). You have a menu of full options that you can choose from, that you and the members of the committee, Chairman Bam, can also choose from," Angara said.

"These are the big ticket items comprising the P134 billion," he added.

Breakdown of priorities

Based on DepEd’s presentation, the P134.5-billion “wish list” covers major programs left out of the National Expenditure Program (NEP). The biggest share is for school infrastructure, with P48.9 billion earmarked for classroom construction and repair, accounting for 36.3 percent of the proposal.

Other large allocations include computerization (P20.2 billion), school-based feeding program (P17 billion), salaries and benefits (P15.2 billion), and disaster preparedness measures (P14.1 billion).

The department is also pushing for P10.2 billion for the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program, which compensates non-DepEd tutors, provides overload pay for teachers, and expands training to combat learning loss.

Smaller components of the request include government assistance and subsidies (P3.3 billion), health initiatives (P1.9 billion), school sports (P800 million), and inclusive education programs (P379 million).

Existing 2026 budget plan

Meanwhile, the P928.5-billion NEP allocation already covers key programs such as:

• School Infrastructure (P8.36B) – including PPP schemes, modernization, and disaster preparedness.
• Non-Teaching Personnel, Training, and Benefits (P10.35B) – for HRD, teacher overtime, and complementary personnel.
• ARAL Program (P4.87B) – scaled-down version of the requested P10.2B.
• School-Based Feeding Program (P3.01B) – extended to cover adolescent mothers.
• Government Assistance and Subsidies (P3.35B) – for service contracting and teacher salary subsidies.

Lawmakers noted that some of DepEd’s requested programs overlap with ongoing initiatives, while others could be implemented gradually given limited fiscal space.

Angara acknowledged the challenges, saying that while education remains the top budgetary priority, competing needs such as infrastructure and disaster response complicate allocations. — RF, GMA Integrated News