A group of teachers and other education workers on Monday, June 5, urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to quit its “onion-skinned” attitude towards queries on how it used the funds under Republic Act 11494 or the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act (Bayanihan 2).

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) asked the agency to account the items and programs that will be affected by the lapsing of Bayanihan 2 funds - which according to media reports - amounts to P1.744-billion based on the update of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) as of June 15, 2021.

“Had the DepEd been prompt and transparent in giving updates on the status of the use of Bayanihan 2 funds for the agency, they could have clarified that the DBM-provided data was outdated,” said ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio said. “It is but normal for our teachers to be alarmed at the prospect of precious funds being wasted,” he added.

In a statement issued on July 4, DepEd said that it has “successfully obligated and disbursed” around 90 percent of the P4.35 billion funds allotted in basic education in the Bayanihan 2.

“Contrary to misinformed claims, the Department has obligated P3.821 B of the funds with P3.751B of these disbursed already,” DepEd said. “The utilization rate is expected to increase once field offices submit their final report,” the agency added.

However, ACT said that instead of calling these “misinformed,” the DepEd should have been more transparent.

“Incorporated in the Bayanihan 2 funds for DepEd are essential teaching and learning needs for distance learning such as laptops and internet provision for teachers, which remain undistributed as of the moment,” ACT said.

Given this, ACT reiterated its demand for DepEd to “fully account the status of the particular provisions in Bayanihan 2 for distance learning.” Specifically, ACT is asking DepEd when teachers can receive the promised 68,500 laptop and 100GB load - especially with the current school year scheduled to end this week, July 10.

ACT is also seeking an update on the P300-million-worth of subsidies and allowances for students, P150-million provision for modules, P200-million for DepEd TV, and P50-million for DepEd radio.

“Instead of issuing snarky responses, we urge DepEd to address its constituents’ valid calls for transparency on the status of the Bayanihan 2 funds and how it plans on making up for the losses due to the law’s expiration,” Basilio said.

Basilio noted teachers—who were and are still bearing the brunt of the unsupported shift to remote learning—were “understandably alarmed” at DBM’s report last week.

“Just as legislators were, prompting several to call for a probe on the matter,” Basilio said. “We’re not asking them for a favor, we’re asking them to duly exercise transparency and diligence in performing their mandates,” he added.

Basilio also stressed that public schools and teachers enter the last week of classes but they have yet to receive the needed support for teaching and learning.

“These are real concerns of people who have been badly hit by the pandemic and have gravely suffered through a grueling year of distance learning, largely because of government ineptitude,” Basilio said. “What we need right now are concrete solutions to problems raised before them,” he added.