DepEd, Open Ownership team up to boost transparency in school purchases

The Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with Open Ownership to make government spending on education more transparent and accountable. This comes as DepEd manages the country’s largest education budget in 2026.

The partnership, formalized Monday through a memorandum of agreement, will allow DepEd to test the use of beneficial ownership data in its purchases.

Beneficial ownership shows who really owns or benefits from companies doing business with the government, not just the names listed on official documents.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the move will help reduce risks in procurement and ensure that classrooms, textbooks, school buildings, and other education services are delivered faster.

DepEd and Open Ownership will review past contracts to see how ownership data can spot potential conflicts of interest, hidden connections, or unfair bidding practices.

They will also figure out which data is most useful, when it matters most during procurement, and how its impact can be measured.

The initiative is part of reforms under the New Government Procurement Act, which requires companies to disclose who really controls them and encourages a risk-based approach to oversight.

Open Ownership will also provide training, workshops, and tools to help DepEd staff use the data effectively.

DepEd stressed that the pilot is meant to improve systems and learning, not to investigate or accuse anyone of wrongdoing.

Results from the pilot will guide future improvements in procurement and policy as education continues to receive one of the biggest shares of the national budget.—MCG, GMA Integrated News