During the House Committee on Appropriations hearing on the Department of Education (DepEd) proposed budget for the next year, the agency explained that the it may not reach critical targets if current funding remain unchanged.

Based on the breakdown of the proposed 2027 budget, only P32.33 billion is allocated for infrastructure capital outlay, lower than the P99.47 billion earmarked for infrastructure in 2026.

In addition, several key departmental programs require additional funding, including the school-based feeding program. While P26 billion was previously allocated for student nutrition, the proposed budget for the program was down to P11 billion.

Furthermore, the requested P16-billion allocation for the ARAL Program was excluded from the 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

The department is also appealing for budget augmentation for Special Needs Education (SNED). DepEd requested P1.39 billion for SNED, but only P849.9 million was included in the proposed allocation, leaving a deficit of more than P500 million.

However, the House Committee on Appropriations clarified that it cannot accommodate the full request; that’s why the department was instructed to submit the priority list of essential programs and projects.

“We have to request a new prioritized list,” House Committee on Appropriations Chairperson Rep. Suansing said

With reports from Mia Alonzo