DepEd probes fund snub in 3 NegOr towns

CEBU, Philippines - Personnel from the Department of Education (DepEd) central office are looking into the complaints that some towns in Negros Oriental were allegedly left in the allocation of school board funds by city divisions.

The complaints came from local chief executives and from teachers from at least three municipalities in Negros Oriental who have asked Governor Roel Degamo to bring their concern to the attention of DepEd Secretary Leonor Briones.

This led the project development office of DepEd central office to send a team to the province to understand the current setup, its implications and how these divisions operate with three municipalities in their areas of jurisdiction.

The team headed by Mariel Bayangos, project development officer IV of DepEd Manila, had an audience with Degamo Tuesday.

The governor appraised them of the teachers’ complaints and that of the mayors in Basay, Pamplona, and Vallehermoso.

Vallehermoso is presently attached to the Guihulngan City DepEd division, Pamplona to Tanjay City division, and Basay to Bayawan City division.

The DepEd officials will stay in the province for five days to consult stakeholders over complaints that these municipalities cannot avail of the benefits because the use of the school board fund of the three cities are limited only within the city division as per government auditing rules and regulations.

Degamo said the three municipalities are somehow prejudiced and left with nothing in terms of use of funds, and when there are promotions, they will be considered second priority.

This is unfair because the school board fund of the provincial government is limited only to municipalities that belong to the Negros Oriental provincial DepEd division, according to Degamo.

Basay, Pamplona, and Vallehermoso previously enjoyed school board fund allocations from the DepEd Negros Oriental division until the restructuring.

Degamo branded such changes as “political maneuvering” by his predecessors, who expanded the territorial jurisdictions of the three divisions during the time of DepEd secretary Armin Luistro without keeping in mind the consequences.

If Degamo had it his way, he would want the three municipalities detached from the three divisions so the provincial government could extend help to them in terms of use of the school board fund, among others. (FREEMAN)