Angara Hopes Marcos Will Address P12-B DepEd Budget Cut

Senator Sonny Angara expressed optimism that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. would intervene to address the P12-billion reduction in the Department of Education’s (DepEd) 2025 budget.

In an Instagram post, Angara stressed the need to prioritize education funding, lamenting the cuts despite Congress historically increasing education budgets in past years.

“Budgeting is about priorities, and education is too important not to be one. The good thing is that President Marcos himself assured us he would find a way to resolve this,” Angara said.

Budget Cuts and Challenges

The recently approved P6.352-trillion 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB) includes a P12-billion cut from DepEd’s budget, of which P10 billion was allocated for the department’s computerization program.

Angara noted this program was essential for modernizing education and reducing the digital divide.

Additionally, a P1.5-billion reduction in personnel services funding has impacted plans for hiring new teachers, which is critical to achieving desired teacher-student ratios and meeting Salary Standardization Law (SSL) increases.

Senate’s Perspective

Senator Grace Poe, chair of the Senate Finance Committee, clarified that despite the cuts, DepEd’s 2025 budget is higher than 2024’s allocation.

“We doubled the teaching supplies allowance from ₱4.825 billion in 2024 to ₱9.948 billion in 2025. Teachers and students are the heart of the education sector—not computers,” Poe said.

She also cited a Commission on Audit (COA) report showing only 50% utilization of the 2023 Computerization Program budget due to procurement delays, suggesting systemic issues must be resolved before allocating additional funds.

Next Steps

President Marcos is expected to sign the 2025 national budget on December 20. The education sector awaits potential remedies to address the funding shortfall, with Angara remaining hopeful about the President’s commitment to supporting DepEd’s goals.