DepEd: Procurement of laptops for 68,500 personnel underway

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education on Thursday said it will provide laptops to some 68,500 personnel, as the resumption of in-person learning for the next school year remains uncertain. 

Undersecretary for Finance Anne Sevilla told a Laging Handa briefing that the move has a P2.4 billion funding. It is sourced from the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, or the Bayanihan 2 law. 

"This purchase is ongoing under the Department of Budget and Management's procurement service," she said in Filipino, adding that teachers will be part of its recipients. 

DepEd gets the bulk of the government's annual spending plan by law. This 2021, it has around P600 billion out of the total P4.5 trillion outlay. 

The education official said other financial aid from the second Bayanihan law includes: P1.2 billion for teachers' internet allowance, P200 million for DepEd TV's operations, P150 million for printed modules, and P50 million for DepEd Radio. 

Another crucial assistance is P300 million for subsidy and allowance to students who had been financially affected by the pandemic. 

"We are also waiting for other financial assistance in the proposed Bayanihan 3 law," Sevilla added.

Congressional leadership has vowed to prioritize the passage of the said measure as they resumed session this week. With deliberations soon to begin, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers petitioned that a monthly P1,500 internet allowance be included in the bill.

Distance learning in the Philippines started in October 2020. The setup was carried out as schools remained shut due to the threat of the COVID-19. 

As the academic year nears its end in July, Sevilla said DepEd now has a proposal that it will soon turn in to the Duterte Cabinet. 

"We have options and proposals that are within the law," she said still in Filipino. "The first is for an August 23 reopening but Secretary Leonor Briones will present other dates."

Still, she said face-to-face classes will still depend on the coronavirus task force, with a final say from President Rodrigo Duterte. 

Groups have since pressed the administration for a safe return to classrooms, as they sound the alarm that difficulties under distance learning are taking a toll on both students and teachers.