THE Department of Education under Vice President Sara Duterte spent its 2023 confidential funds of P112.5 million fast, but its regular funds so slowly that it is jeopardizing Filipino learners’ future, Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo said Monday.
At the House hearing of DepEd’s 2025 proposed budget, Quimbo said the department’s confidential funds for the first three quarters of 2023 were spent 100 percent in 190 days, making for a 143 percent efficiency rate.
This, she noted, is a stark contrast to the Commission on Audit (COA) 2023 report which revealed that DepEd failed to utilize over P37 billion, or 5.13 percent, of its total adjusted allotments of P735.39 billion.
“So ang efficiency pag dating sa spending ng confidential funds ay 143 percent. Congratulations po pero pag dating sa regular funds, napakabagal po,” she said.
State auditors said the low utilization rate of the 2023 DepEd budget is mainly due to the delayed, partial, or non-implementation of various programs, activities and projects.
Quimbo said this low utilization rate, particularly of projects like the DepEd Computerization Program, aggravates the crisis in Philippine education and puts Filipinos at a disadvantage of competing for global jobs.
“In a world that is flat, they have to compete globally. Kung kulelat tayo, hirap tayo. Hirap silang mag compete, yun ang kinakaharap ng ating Kalihim, ng buong Kagawaran, kaya kelangan natin tulungan ang DepEd,” she said.
“May crisis. We cannot waste funds, we cannot waste time. Those are the two things. Pero pag dating sa COA reports, isa sa pinakamalaking findings ng COA report in 2023, ay low utilization. Ibig sabihin mabagal ang paggastos at may natitirang pondo, so wasted funds, wasted time,” she added.
Quimbo questioned DepEd’s accomplishment report thus far of 44,638 Information and Communications and Technology (ICT) packages procured for delivery. She said procured for delivery is different from delivery and cannot be listed as an accomplishment.
Ferdinand Pitagan, DepEd director for Information and Communications Technology Service (ICTS), clarified that the 44,638 ICT packages include those budgeted and allocated from previous years starting 2021.
Pitagan said the catch-up plan would have all ICT packages delivered by December 2024, which Quimbo found unacceptable.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara himself expressed shock that over 1.5 million laptops, books, furniture and other school items have been stored in various warehouses for the last four years.
Angara said he has asked the help of the Armed Forces of the Philippines to deliver the said items to the public schools around country.
Angara also said that his office is considering some changes in the procurement process to facilitate the delivery of these materials, including devolving the bidding process to regional and division levels.
DepEd under fire for massive underutilization of learning tools, funds during VP Sara Duterte’s tenure
A party list representative also unleashed a scathing critique of the DepEd, condemning the agency's alarming failure to fully utilize the billions allocated for the Learning Tools and Equipment (LTE) program from 2021 to 2023, particularly during the Vice President's controversial tenure as Education Secretary.
During a heated exchange in the House Committee on Appropriations’ deliberation over DepEd’s staggering P793.18-billion budget for 2025, 1-Rider Party-list Rep. Rodge Gutierrez, exposed the shocking supposed inefficiencies in the LTE program.
He revealed damning figures: a pitiful 40.9% obligation rate and an even more appalling 10.98% disbursement rate over three years—a glaring failure in DepEd's procurement processes.
The DepEd, led by Vice President Duterte from July 2022 until her abrupt resignation on July 19, 2024, has come under intense scrutiny as former senator and now Education Secretary Sonny Angara vows to address the concerns left behind by the former administration.
Gutierrez didn’t hold back, pressing DepEd officials on their dismal performance and demanding accountability for what he described as a systemic failure.
“I understand our LTE program has been underutilized. Is that correct?” Gutierrez asked pointedly, zeroing in on the department's inability to effectively manage the funds. His sharp questioning underscored the gravity of the situation, as he challenged DepEd to address the glaring issues and prevent future underutilization of critical resources.
DepEd Undersecretary Gina Gonong acknowledged the low utilization rates and attributed the issue largely to procurement challenges.
“Yes, Your Honor. Una pong step na ginagawa namin ay ‘yung Early Procurement Activity. So, starting this year, nagpre-prepare na po kami para sa Early Procurement Activities ng ating mga Learning Tools and Equipment,” she said.
Despite these efforts, Gutierrez remained unconvinced, pushing for more transparency and demanding a deeper investigation into the root causes of DepEd’s procurement failures. He emphasized that the LTE program’s disastrous performance over the past three years could not be brushed aside with vague explanations.
“It could be a number of factors. It's very hard for us to just simply leave it as procurement problems. I hope you understand, Madam Usec, that we're here to look for solutions,” Gutierrez stressed, making it clear that mere acknowledgment of the issues was insufficient.
Gonong further elaborated that failed procurement processes, including repeated failed biddings, were significant hurdles. She mentioned the need for adjustments to technical specifications to align with market availability.
“Minsan po kailangan naming mag-recalibrate ng aming mga technical specifications kasi ‘yung available sa market, halimbawa, hindi naman nata-target doon sa tech specs namin. So nagkakaroon kami ng adjustments,” she explained, highlighting the ongoing challenges.
Angara, who has been at DepEd for only about six weeks, tried to provide additional context, pointing to the complexity of procuring learning packages, especially for specialized Technical-Vocational Education and Training (TVET) courses, as another contributing factor to the delays.
“Yung learning packages, there are so many different kinds. One package is an amalgam or a combination of several items. So it could be glasses, mixers, etc.,” Angara noted. “So medyo mahirap din talaga i-combine. But really, we are exerting efforts to improve our procurement and speed things up.”
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