By Dang Samson Garcia

PAG-AARALAN ng Senado kung maaaring ilipat sa regular funding ang ilang gastusin na nasa ilalim ng confidential fund ng Department of Education para sa 2024.

Ito ang binigyang-diin ni Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri upang hindi lumobo ang hinihinging confidential fund ng ahensiya.

Partikular na tinukoy ng Senate leader ang pagpopondo sa pagtatayo ng Last Mile Schools na naglalayong mailayo ang mga estudyante sa mga komunista.

“Kung kaya natin ilagay sa regular budget nila, kung may tulong sa Last Mile Schools advocacy na mawala ang communist rebels, influence sa mga last mile school tingnan natin kung baka puwedeng ilagay ‘yan sa kanilang Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses na lang o capital outlay,” pahayag ni Zubiri sa panayam ng DWIZ.

“Kung magtatayo ng additional infrastructure like dorm type facility para hindi na kailangang bumalik at umakyat teachers dyan para mabantayan nila ang population at hindi maimpluwensiyahan that can be done through insertion in capital outlay, halimbawa lang po ‘yan,” paliwanag ni Zubiri.

“Kung pwede ilagay sa MOOE o personnel services puwede natin gawin para hindi lolobo ang CIF ng ahensiya na sa tingin namin, hindi dapat makakuha ng ganun kalaki,” giit pa ng senador.

Una nang binuo ng Senado ang Special Oversight Committee on Confidential and Intelligence Fund upang masuri ang paggastos ng pondo ng mga ahensiya ng gobyerno.

Ito ay upang matukoy kung dapat pang tanggalin, tapyasan o dagdagan ang hinihinging confidential at intelligence fund ng mga departamento ng pamahalaan.

By Liezelle Soriano

THE Department of Education urged the public to watch out against fake news following the emergence of a fake memorandum on teachers’ rest day.

The memo titled “DepEd Memo re: Two Weeks of Rest Days in Celebration of Teachers’ Day Month” was circulated online.

“During this period, teachers are encouraged to take a break from their regular duties and focus on self-care and personal being. School administrators are kindly requested to ensure that teachers are not burdened with additional work during this time,” the fake memo read.

The department has asked authorities to investigate the source of the fake memorandum.

It called on the public to be vigilant against misinformation.

By Vergel Labesig

THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers expressed deep dismay and concern over the Department of Education’s justification for its request for confidential funds saying its focus on issues beyond its primary mandate only undermines the urgent and pressing needs of the education system.

The group issued the statement after DepEd claimed that 16 public high schools in the National Capital Region are sites for New People’s Army’s recruitment.

“We find DepEd’s rationale for seeking confidential funds feeble and questionable. The shortages are enormous, and these are the real issues plaguing our education system. It is absurd that DepEd Sec. Sara Duterte asserts that education is intertwined with national security while she fails to see that poor learners’ performance is directly interrelated with the classroom and other education shortages,” Vladimer Quetua, the group’s chairperson, said.

“Nasa 150,000 dagdag na classrooms ang kailangan para tugunan ang kakulangan habang nasa 13 million armchairs ang kulang para sa bilang ng enrollees ngayong taong panuruan. Kung tunay na nagmamalasakit ang DepEd sa seguridad ng mga mag-aaral, dapat binibigyan nito ng sapat na classrooms at learning materials. Patunay ang bumulaga sa aming lagay ng classrooms nitong class opening na hinati na sa gitna, nasa higit 50 pa ang mag-aaral sa isang klase,” Quetua added.

ACT reiterated its call for confidential funds to be rechanneled to resolve the learning crisis and address enormous shortages in classroom, teachers, education support personnel, and teaching and learning resources.

“Hindi kailangan ng DepEd ng pondo para sa confidential funds. Hindi trabaho ng ahensya ang national security. Hindi malulutas ng confidential funds ang lawak at lalim ng learning crisis. Malinaw na mas prayoridad ni VP Sara Duterte ang mag-function bilang NTF-ELCAC Vice Chair kaysa bilang DepEd Secretary,” Quetua said.