DECS denies solon’s rap on classroom budget

The Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) denied yesterday the accusation of Laguna Rep. Danton Bueser that the agency has been withholding the P2.5-billion budget for classrooms in banks to earn interest.

DECS Secretary Andrew Gonzalez said the agency, in the first place, has nothing to do with the construction of classrooms.

"Not true, not true. They have not yet even released the funds," he stressed.

According to Bueser, classroom shortage remains a problem in public schools because DECS has been keeping the funds in the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to earn interest.

"It looks like they are deliberately withholding the fund with the Land Bank so they could ask for more donations from the bank and use the interest for their personal benefit like what they did in the case of the P12 million worth of luxury vehicles," he noted.

Bueser was referring to the P12 million donated by LBP to DECS. The latter spent the money to buy sports utility vehicles, drawing the ire of some senators.

DECS Assistant Secretary for Budget and Finance Mario Bravo explained that Department of Budget and Management (DBM) was the one responsible for releasing the fund.

"When you speak of school building construction, it is not with us. It is the Department of Public Works and Highways that is in charge of constructing classrooms, not DECS," he added.

Bravo said that the only role of DECS is to identify the school districts and where the classrooms will be constructed.

"DBM releases the funds directly to the DPWH. But as of now, I don’t think the entire amount has already been released. Maybe only a substantial part of that has already been used," he added. — Sheila Crisostomo