Lawmakers find DepEd slow to spend on tech needs, fast with confidential funds

MANILA, Philippines (Updated Sept. 3, at 11:31 a.m.) — The Department of Education came under fire from House lawmakers on Monday, September 2, for its failure to promptly deliver any of the laptops for school personnel and smart TVs it received funding for in 2022 and 2023 under then-Education Secretary Sara Duterte. 

During the House appropriations committee’s review of DepEd’s proposed P793-billion budget for 2025, lawmakers criticized the significant underutilization of funds for teaching and learning equipment in 2023. This was in contrast to its swift expenditure of confidential and intelligence funds.

Citing audit documents, Rep. Jinky Luistro (Batangas, 2nd District) said DepEd had accomplished "zero percent" of its target delivery of the following equipment budgeted for 2023, as of Dec. 31, 2023:

• 2,349 e-learning carts
• 2,648 smart TVs
• 12,022 laptops for teachers
• 7,558 laptops for non-teaching personnel 

Meanwhile, as of the same date, DepEd also failed to distribute the following equipment that it funded using the continuing appropriations from its 2022 budget:

• 4,067 e-learning carts
• 337 smart TVs
• 2,366 laptops for teachers
• 3,161 for non-teaching personnel

"I wish to express my frustration in the proper bidding, procurement and delay of all these ICT equipment. These are all critically needed in public schools," Luistro said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

"Where are these equipment?" the lawmaker asked.

Ferdinand Pitagan, DepEd's director for information and communication technology, said that all laptops for teachers and non-teaching personnel funded by the 2022 appropriations have been delivered. However, at least 8% of the smart TVs and e-learning carts, which DepEd describes as "rolling libraries with laptops," have yet to be delivered. 

Meanwhile, just about 3% of the e-learning carts and smart TVs funded in the 2023 budget have been distributed to schools. 

The lawmaker reprimanded DepEd for its slow delivery of much-needed classroom technology especially as the specifications needed for teaching and learning tools change quickly. 

One of the items on DepEd's "wishlist" for 2025 is a P12.6 billion budget for its computerization program.

What is causing the delay?

As of 2023, Pitagan said that DepEd only has one computer for every 30 teachers nationwide. The student-to-computer ratio is at 1:9.

"That is almost saying impossible to facilitate an e-learning system," Luistro said.

However, despite the urgent need for more digital resources, Luistro asked, why is DepEd not buying them fast enough?

The lawmaker pointed out that the Commission on Audit's 2023 findings show DepEd only spent P2.75 billion out of the P11 billion that was allocated for its computerization program in 2023. 

Pitagan explained that in 2023, when the "new leadership came in," the department's priority was to finish spending all of its 2022 appropriations, which were carried over to 2023. 

By May this year, DepEd had already spent at least 95% of its 2023 budget. But this wasn’t shown in the audit because the department asked to change how the computerization program expenses were classified.

The explanation did not satisfy Luistro, who pointed out that the lack of equipment in schools has caused the Philippines to lag behind the world in international assessments. 

"We have the budget. Why don't we act promptly so we address this problem?" Luistro said.

During her interpellation, Rep. Stella Quimbo (Marikina City) also lamented DepEd's slow delivery and procurement of digital resources. "The spending is slow, and then there are unutilized funds. It's wasted funds, wasted time," she said in a mix of English and Filipino. 

Citing state auditors' liquidation of the agency's confidential funds, Quimbo said DepEd had rapidly spent three-quarters of its P150-million confidential fund in 2023 with an efficiency rate of 143%.

"The efficiency in spending confidential funds reaches 143%, but the utilization of regular funds is exceedingly slow," the House appropriations senior vice chairperson said.

"What is the solution?" Quimbo pressed the DepEd officials. 

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara, who assumed his post on July 19, a month after Duterte's resignation, vowed to do early procurement ahead of 2025. Upon Quimbo's suggestion, he said DepEd can also look into the decentralization of the procurement process to allow regional offices to handle the bulk orders. 

The spending plan DepEd submitted to the Department of Budget and Management was prepared under Duterte before her resignation on June 19.

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Erratum: An earlier version of this report misstated the amount of confidential funds allocated to DepEd in 2023 as P125 million. The correct figure is P150 million.