Independent minority solon Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman has suggested a way for the Department of Education (DepEd) to come up with funds for the education of special children, which in the agency's proposed 2023 budget had zero allocation.

Lagman made his pitch Thursday, Sept. 22, during the House plenary debate on the DepEd's proposed budget for 2023 worth P709 billion.

Vice President Sara Duterte, who sits as secretary of DepEd, was present at the plenary during the proceedings. Sponsoring and defending the agency’s spending plan next year was Davao de Oro 1st district Rep. Maria Carmen Zamora.

"We're hoping that there would be an adequate budget for the education of special children and I am informed that there is an increasing population of special children in the Philippines. And the is in the process of gathering the data," Lagman said during his interpellation.

Before this, another interpellator in Camarines Sur 3rd district Rep. Gabriel Bordado Jr. drew an admission from Zamora that, historically, no funds are set aside for special education (SPED) by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) or proposed budget.

"The honorable Bordado suggested that we should have a congressional initiative to fund the education for special children like what has been done in the previous years. But there is another way of doing this," Lagman said.

"And this is for the DepEd to voluntarily realign its items of expediture considering it has P74.5-billion increase compared to the current level so that they can produce the amount necessary for the education of special children," he bared.

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"One of the items of expenditures which could be realigned would be the amount of P150 million for confidential funds under the ," added the veteran lawmaker from Albay.

Lagman was referring to the controversial P500-million confidential funds alloted to the Office of the Vice President (OVP, which is under Duterte.

The solon himself questioned the existence of the confidential funds during the plenary debate on the OVP budget the same morning.

Lagman ended his interpellation on DepEd without hearing a response on his suggestion from the sponsor, who was within earshot of Duterte.

However, Zamora assured the plenary minutes earlier that "the whole family of the Department of Education share the same advocacy" of funding or restoring funds for SPED next year.

According to the sponsor, DepEd has been able to get its SPED programs running despite zero funding by "looking for funds internally".

"Historically, the has been proposing for allocation for special education because the department recognizes the importance of these programs. However, in the past, there were no allocations being approved despite the yearly proposal asked by the . But the , despite the absence of approval based on its proposal did not stop from doing its role and its mandate in serving our special learners," she said.

"At present, the DepEd family is looking for its internal, other sources and will soon submit its proposal to the Committee on Appropriations and how they will realign all of their proposals and ensure that SPED or special education be given its allocation," added Zamora.