On World Teachers' Day, Duterte urged to realign intelligence funds to education sector
MANILA, Philippines — A teachers' group on Monday said government should divert billions of pesos for its intelligence operations as well as for the controversial "war on drugs" to instead respond to the needs of millions of Filipino students as the new school year begins.
Education officials have had to push through with the resumption of classes after months of hard lockdown due to the pandemic despite budget limitation.
The pandemic, as well as concerns on internet access, stirred calls from groups to postpone the opening of classes and even for an academic freeze as many do not have the means for gadgets and decent internet connection, both used for distance learning.
Local government units and the private sector have had to step in to aid the department's efforts to provide for the more than 24 million students enrolled so far.
But for ACT-Teachers' party-list, the administration can respond to such needs if it wants to, by reappropriating funds for the education sector.
Congress had granted President Rodrigo Duterte sweeping emergency powers through the Bayanihan 2 to respond to the coronavirus crisis in the country, part of which is allowing him to realign government funds.
The group says the proposed P19 billion in 2021 for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict should instead be used for buying gadgets and providing internet services to students.
ACT-Teachers is among the party-lists that the NTF-ELCAC has tagged as "communist terrorists", citing supposed evidence that it has not made public.
The proposed anti-insurgency fund has also been questioned by senators, with some voicing concerns that it may be used with the 2022 elections approaching.
Intelligence funds for Duterte's office, pegged at P4.5 billion that also raised the eyebrows of some lawmakers, should go for the protection and benefits of education frontliners, and funds for "Oplan Tokhang" for putting up preventive measures against COVID-19 at schools, the teachers' group said.
ACT-Teachers added that the P33 billion for the modernization program of the armed forces could be used for DepEd's module printing. A weak military has put the Philippines at a disadvantage in the South China Sea, part of which is within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone and which Manila calls the West Philippine Sea.
Some P13.5 billion should also be allocated for a raise in teachers' expenses allowance, ACT-Teachers said.
The education sector has a proposed P754.4 billion for next year, which includes the Commission on Higher Education, TESDA, and state universities and colleges. Some P606.6 billion of that budget is for the Department of Education.
Plenary hearings at the House of Representatives are still ongoing for the government's proposed P4.5-trillion spending plan for next year.
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