Criminal complaints have been filed against seven private schools for allegedly having “ghost beneficiaries” under the Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, during the agency’s budget briefing before the House Committee on Appropriations on September 3, confirmed that the complaints involved more than P60 million.

“That has already been filed with the fiscal’s office,” Angara said in a mix of English and Filipino. “We have demand letters for that and we also have criminal cases with a total amount involved of P61.9 million,” he added.

Angara noted that DepEd’s legal division is also conducting investigations into other schools facing similar issues.

In February, DepEd launched an investigation into 12 private schools suspected of fraudulently enrolling “ghost students” under the SHS Voucher Program — a scheme designed to subsidize tuition for learners attending private senior high schools.

The program allocates financial aid based on each student’s name and voucher reference number, with DepEd covering tuition costs directly.

According to DepEd, incoming Grade 11 students from public schools may receive vouchers ranging from P14,000 to P22,500, while eligible students from private schools may also apply for the subsidy.

DepEd earlier said the 12 schools under investigation are located in several provinces, including Bulacan, Pangasinan, Metro Manila, Pampanga, Tarlac, Rizal, Northern Samar, Davao del Sur, and Maguindanao.

“Ghost” students are individuals listed as voucher recipients for private school enrollment who were either ineligible for the program or entirely fictitious.