House panel eyes restoring funds to DepEd programs cut from 2027 NEP

The House Committee on Appropriations is considering restoring funding for several Department of Education (DepEd) programs that were cut or not included in the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), with committee chairperson Mikaela Suansing asking the agency to submit a prioritized list of programs for possible augmentation. Suansing raised the issue during the committee’s deliberations on DepEd’s proposed 2027 budget on Monday, noting that while the department’s overall proposed budget for next year is higher by ₱41.3 billion than this year's budget, much of the increase is set to go to Personnel Services. “So just extrapolating from there, we see that there was a P16-billion cut. There was a P16-billion cut in the other programs, the other components, and MOOE [Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses], capital outlay," she said. She added that the affected programs included special needs education, school-based feeding, ARAL and mental health, among others. Suansing said that Congress had previously augmented several of these programs during the last budget cycle. “So siguro po titignan natin [perhaps we will look at] which among the programs which comprise the P16-billion decrease in MOOE and capital outlay, we can consider for augmentation.” House asks: What happens if funding isn’t restored? Suansing asked Angara to explain the consequences if the funding for the affected programs remained at the levels proposed in the 2027 NEP. “What would happen if we’re unable to restore the funding for these particular programs?” she asked. Angara said the impact would be particularly felt in the School-Based Feeding Program. The 2027 NEP allocation is back at around ₱11 billion, compared with the roughly ₱26 billion Congress provided for the program in the 2026 GAA. Angara said the lower allocation would mean a shorter feeding cycle. “So right now you’re looking at 120 days instead of 180 days, which is the whole school year…” he said. He said children who stop receiving meals before the end of the school year could fall back into the same problem the program seeks to address. “…pag hindi natin pinakain for the remainder of the school year, babalik din sila. So in a way, parang you go forward, but you go back.” (…if we don’t feed them for the remainder of the school year, they will return to the same condition. So in a way, you move forward, but then you go back.) Angara also said the lower allocation would mean DepEd could not provide universal feeding for Grade 1. “And the second is we won’t have universal feeding for Grade 1. So we’ll have it for Kinder, but not for Grade 1,” he said. The department would also have less room to expand its central kitchens and provide more hot meals. DepEd reports 45.8% utilization of 2026 feeding funds Suansing also asked about DepEd’s ability to absorb the larger ₱26-billion feeding allocation in the 2026 GAA, recalling concerns about whether there would be enough milk suppliers and kitchens to implement the program. Angara said the program currently had a 45.8% utilization rate, but explained that school-based feeding is tied to the school calendar and some payments carry over to the following year. He said utilization had reached 90% in 2025 and 81% in 2024, indicating an improvement in the department’s ability to spend the funds. Suansing said the figures suggested DepEd was on track to utilize the 2026 allocation. ARAL faces zero funding in 2027 NEP Suansing also pressed Angara on the ARAL program, recalling that Congress had funded the program during the previous budget cycle. She asked how many students would be excluded if funding for ARAL were not restored. “That would be all, but I think we would be forced to reallocate within the current budget," said Angara. He said DepEd could potentially take money from other existing needs to keep the program running as he described ARAL as a potential “game changer” for learners who are falling behind. DepEd’s supplemental budget request separately seeks funding for programs not covered or insufficiently funded in the 2027 NEP, including its learning recovery priorities. The department is seeking a total of ₱145.19 billion in supplemental funding. Suansing said SpEd, along with other inclusive education programs, was among the areas Congress wanted to strengthen. Angara said the department had also requested additional funding for special needs education, including personnel, facilities, equipment and program support. The 2027 supplemental request includes ₱541.57 million for SPED, as well as funding for Madrasah, Indigenous Peoples education and multigrade education. Mental health was likewise among the programs identified by lawmakers for possible augmentation. The supplemental request includes funding for mental health and guidance services, school counselor associates and other learner support programs. DepEd asked to re-prioritize ₱145B supplemental request With DepEd seeking ₱145.19 billion in additional funding, Suansing acknowledged the difficulty of accommodating the entire request given the government’s fiscal space. She asked Angara to submit a more streamlined and prioritized list of requests. Suansing also asked DepEd to submit the re-prioritized list by Wednesday noon, citing the House’s upcoming plenary schedule and the chamber’s process of reviewing institutional budget requests through its Budget Amendment Review Subcommittee. She nevertheless told DepEd that the committee would seek to accommodate its requests. Earlier, Appropriations Vice Chair Maria Carmen Zamora said the committee had seen broad support from lawmakers for increasing, not cutting, DepEd’s proposed budget. “Out of the 34 members who asked questions, I have not heard any single member who posed for the cut of the budget, but instead all of these 34, from the minority and majority, have proposed for the increase of the proposed budget," she said. Zamora said lawmakers highlighted SNED, inclusive resource center construction, school-based feeding, computerization, school building, ARAL and mental health programs, among others. DepEd’s proposed FY 2027 budget is ₱973.4 billion for the department proper, while its six attached agencies have a combined proposed allocation of about ₱2.56 billion, bringing the total to around ₱975.96 billion. The department’s Personnel Services allocation is proposed to increase by 8.64% to ₱766.74 billion, while MOOE would decrease by 15.94% to ₱174.32 billion and Capital Outlay by 67.49% to ₱32.34 billion. DepEd is seeking ₱145.19 billion in supplemental funding to address gaps in learning recovery, personnel, school infrastructure, learner support and inclusive education. The committee subsequently terminated its deliberations on the proposed FY 2027 DepEd budget under House Bill No. 10858, including its attached agencies. — BM, GMA News