The Department of Education (DepEd) assured that it will continue to ensure that its existing programs and projects will be supported despite the lack of funds in the 2023 budget.
“In the past years, DepEd has likewise made efforts within the organization to ensure that programs are supported,” DepEd Spokesperson Michael Poa said in a Viber message to reporters.
Poa said this after DepEd confirmed that while it has proposed a P532-million budget for Special Education (SPED) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 but was slashed in the National Expenditure Program (NEP).
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2022/09/19/deped-on-zero-budget-for-sped-other-programs-a-recurring-circumstance-every-year/
DepEd explained that the lack of budget allocation in some of its programs and project has been a “recurring circumstance every year.”
Despite this, Poa reiterated that DepEd is “not at a loss” because it always works with members of Congress to “find other ways to fund” its programs that were unfunded in the NEP.
Poa explained that to support “unfunded” programs, internal adjustments can be made such as looking into available School Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) of schools or other programs to fund those without budget allocation in the NEP.
In the case of SPED, Poa said that funds were later allocated for the program.
Citing data from DepEd Finance Strand, Poa said that for FY 2021, “no amount was allotted” for SPED under NEP but was “eventually funded” under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) with P329 million.
Poa explained that for FY 2022, SPED was Funded under NEP with P297 million. Eventually, he noted that the funds were increased to P560 million under GAA.