The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday, August 31, said it will appeal to move “unprogrammed” funds to programmed funds as well as teachers’ annual medical allowance of P500 when Congress deliberates the agency’s 2021 budget.

“Kung pu-puwede from unprogrammed funds ay ilipat sa programmed funds para mas assured kami (If possible, transfer unprogrammed to programmed funds so we are assured). All of the items you have seen are all very important,” Education Undersecretary Anne Sevilla said during a virtual press briefing. 

Here are the items under “unprogrammed” funds based on Sevilla’s presentation:

• Basic education facilities (electrification) – P3.8 billion
• Last Mile Schools program – P6.5 billion
• Flexible learning options – P5 billion
• Government assistance and subsidies (voucher program from private senior high school students) – P10.5 billion

Aside from these, Sevilla also said that they would also appeal to Congress some benefits of teachers, which are “unfortunately not included in the 2021 NEP (National Expenditure Program).”

“For example, the annual medical exam for teachers. The Secretary is about to issue P500 per teacher. Although this is very small kapag kasi kinompute mo ito (when you computed this), P500 per teacher is equivalent to P500 million in DepEd,” Sevilla said. 

DepEd would also appeal the P1000 cash incentive per teacher for World Teachers’ Day which is equivalent to P1 billion, Sevilla added.

“‘Yung aming cash allowance for teachers [is] still at P3,500. Ito ‘yung sumasagot sa pangangailangan ng teachers. It’s up to Congress actually. These are the things na hindi nakasama. Talagang kailangang balansehin ang lahat kasi if you want something to be added in the funding, sino naman ang mawawalan?” Sevilla said. 

(Our cash allowance for teachers [is] still at P,3500. This is for the needs of the teachers. It’s up to Congress actually. These are the things not included [in the proposed budget]. We have balance to everything because if you want something to be added in the funding, what item would be sacrificed?)

The following is the allocation per item under the DepEd’s P605.74 billion proposed budget:

• Personal services (salaries of personnel) – P475 billion
• Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses – P98.3 billion
• Capital outlay – P33.2 billion

The government is allotting P24 billion for basic education facilities; government assistance and subsidies, P26 billion; Last Mile schools, P1.5 billion; and flexible learning options would get P15 billion.

During the briefing, Sevilla said that the proposed budget allocation also considered the salary increase of DepEd personnel under the Salary Standardization Law while the agency would also be hiring 10,000 teachers next year.

Congress is set to deliberate DepEd’s budget on September 15.

On August 2, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the P4.506 trillion national budget proposed for 2021, which the government said would help sustain its response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Classes would open on October 5, using the distance learning approach. (READ: Back to school during a pandemic: Issues that need to be solved before October 5) – Rappler.com