DepEd seeks P10B more for laptops as proposed 2027 budget funds only 50,000

The Department of Education (DepEd) is seeking an additional P10 billion for laptops after the proposed 2027 budget provided funding for only 50,000 units, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Monday.

Angara made the statement during the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on DepEd’s proposed 2027 budget, after Representative Edgar Erice asked about the administration’s promise to provide laptops to public school teachers.

Angara said DepEd is distributing 283,000 laptops this year, which he described as the biggest single allocation for teachers in any year.

“Well, this year we’re giving, I think, over 200,000 laptops, 283,000 laptops, which again is not business as usual, Your Honor. We have about 870,000 teachers. This is the biggest single allocation in any year for our teachers,” Angara told the House committee on appropriations.

He said the distribution would cover nearly one-third of DepEd’s roughly 870,000 teachers.

Erice then asked whether DepEd could eventually provide laptops to all public school teachers by the end of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term.

Angara said the proposed 2027 budget has funding for only 50,000 laptops, prompting the department to seek additional funds.

“Sa 2027 budget, there’s funding only for 50,000 laptops, Your Honor. That’s why we’re requesting an additional 10 billion para fulfill po yung pangako niya,” he said.

(In the 2027 budget, there’s funding only for 50,000 laptops, Your Honor. That’s why we’re requesting an additional 10 billion to fulfill his promise.)

The laptop request is part of DepEd’s broader appeal for additional funding for programs not accommodated under the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

DepEd is seeking P145.19 billion in additional funding on top of its proposed NEP allocation to address funding gaps for learning recovery, personnel hiring, school safety and other programs.

The department said the supplemental request includes funding for teacher benefits, training, laptops and other support mechanisms intended to allow teachers to focus on teaching.

'Sustained' laptop rollout

Angara earlier acknowledged the challenge of sustaining the laptop distribution, noting that providing 283,000 units in one year would cover nearly one-third of the teaching workforce.

“So again, the question is sustainability. Dahil kung hindi natin ma-sustain ito, hindi natin mabibigyan lahat,” he said.

(So again, the question is sustainability. Because if we cannot sustain this, we cannot provide them to everyone.)

He said the current year’s rollout represented a significant departure from the usual level of support for teachers.

Erice had asked whether the President’s promise could ultimately result in every public school teacher receiving a laptop before the end of his term.

DepEd presented a proposed P975.96-billion budget for fiscal year 2027, including allocations for its attached agencies, before the House Committee on Appropriations, according to the department’s press release.

The department is seeking an additional P145.19 billion for critical programs not funded under the 2027 NEP.

Under the proposed NEP allocation, Personnel Services would rise 8.64% to P766.74 billion, while Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) would decline 15.94% to P174.32 billion and Capital Outlay would fall 67.49% to P32.34 billion.— MCG, GMA News