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PARA kay Senate President Francis Escudero, pwedeng gamitin ng Department of Education (DepEd) ang natipid kung hindi man di nagastos na badyet sa mga nakaraang taon bilang pamalit sa tinapyas na P12 bilyon sa DepEd Computerization Program (DCP).
Unang pinalagan ni Education Sec. Sonny Angara ang final version ng badyet ng DepEd na inaprubahan sa bicameral conference committee na umabot sa P12 bilyon para sa computerization program ng ahensya.
Ngunit, ayon kay Escudero, puwedeng itaas ang badyet ng ahensya sa 2025 kung gagamitin ang bilyong pisong halaga ng unspent funds mula sa nagdaang taon.
Sa text message sa mga mamamahayag, ibinahagi ng lider ng senado ang impormasyon hinggil sa aniya’y ‘savings and unspent items’ ang DepEd sa 2024 budget.
“The President can augment any item in the budget from savings or unspent items in the budget… Madami naman po source to augment. DepEd and its Secretary should know because the submissions for the budget deliberations on their own dismal fund utilization came from them,” ani Escudero.
Ayon kay Escudero, kabilang sa magandang halimbawa ng “savings or unspent items” sa DepEd ang “P10.034 billion that DepEd has not obligated, much less spent, since it was allocated 13.068 billion in the GAA of 2022 for its computerization program, which, by the way will revert to the National Treasury by the end of 2024.”
“P10.2 billion that DepEd has also not obligated nor spent out of the 20.4 billion Congress allocated in the 2023 GAA still for for its computerization program; or maybe, P15.9 billion (out of the 18.08 billion) that DepEd has also not spent from the 2024 budget also for its computerization program.”
Ngunit, ayon kay DepEd Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla, taliwas sa paniniwala ng Kongreso, umabot na sa mahigit 89 porsyento ng P32 bilyong inilaan sa DepEd Computerization Program (DCP) ang nagastos ng ahensya.
“Out of a total budget of P32 billion for DepEd Computerization Program (DCP) from 2022 to 2024, P28.5 billion equivalent to 89%, has been obligated as of November 30, 2024,” ayon kay Sevilla.
Naunang kinuwestiyon ni Angara at ilang mambabatas sa pangunguna ni Senador Risa Hontiveros ang kontrobersyal na Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program or AKAP, zero-subsidy sa Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), paglobo ng badyet ng Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) tungo sa P1.1 trillion, at tinapyas na badyet ng Department of Education (DepEd), partikular sa computerization program.
Noong nakaraang linggo, nagpahayag ng pagkadismaya si Angara, dating chairman ng Senate committee on finance, sa ibinawas na P12 bilyon sa badyet ng ahensya sa ilalim ng final version ng 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
“The majority of the P12 billion was for the computerization program of the DepEd,” ayon kay Angara. (Estong Reyes)
