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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Restore P560-M budget for students with special needs --- party-list solon

Restore P560-M budget for students with special needs --- party-list solon

Published Sep 22, 2022 04:37 pm

A party-list representative has added her voice to calls to restore the P560-million budget allocation for children with special needs in the proposed 2023 national budget under the Department of Education (DepEd).

Ako llocano Ako Party-list Rep. Richelle Singson (Photo from Singson’s office)

Ako llocano Ako Party-list Rep. Richelle Singson, a neophyte solon, said it was “surprising” that next year’s special education (SPED) program was given zero budget.

She highlighted the need for House leaders and members to show their concern and support for the special children or learners with disabilities (LWDs) by funding them.

“I empathize with our special children not only for the sake of being a mother myself, but because, as representatives of the people, it is our moral and legal duties to help and care for them because they need more attention compared with other children,” she said.

The DepEd submitted to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) a proposed budget of P560 million for SPED.

Such amount, however, was not included in the total proposed appropriations for DepEd in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) that DBM submitted to Congress.

READ: No funds for education of special children in 2023 NEP–DepEd

The DBM explained the DepEd did not give sufficient documentation for the funding of its SPED program.

The agency said this includes the details of the proposed amount with specific purposes, the basis of computations, and the status of the ongoing conversion and establishment of Inclusive Learning Resource Centers (ILRCs).

“This is (a) zero budget allocation for LWDs in the proposed 2023 DepEd budget considering that there has been a continuing appropriation in the DepEd budget in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA) since 2019 until 2022," Singson said.

Based on the GAA, P50 million was allocated for LWDs in 2019, and P100 million each from 2020 up to this year.

The legal mandates cited for these budgetary allocations include the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Republic Act (RA) No. 10533 (Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013), and R.A No. 10410 (Early Years Act of 2013).

“Considering these legal mandates, it is inconceivable that there is zero budget for LWDs or children with special needs in the proposed FY 2023 DepEd budget," Singson said.

“To agree to the zero budget would be tantamount to accepting that all the aforesaid compulsory laws, which Congress painstakingly passed, are dead-letter laws,” she added.

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