Education has highest budget at P1.055-T after DPWH cuts

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

FILE: After thorough review and scrutiny, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed the 2025 national budget on Monday. (PCO Photo)

MANILA – The education sector now has the lion’s share of the 2025 national budget as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. struck down some items under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Marcos on Monday signed into law the 2025 national budget after he vetoed PHP194 billion in line items.

Next year’s government budget was originally set at PHP6.352 trillion, but the President’s vetoes trimmed it down to P6.326 trillion.

Of the vetoed items, PHP26.065 billion were projects under the DPWH and PHP168.240 billion allocated were under unprogrammed appropriations.

Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the education sector now has the highest allocation with PHP1.055 trillion following the cuts in the DPWH budget.

The funding is spread across the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Local Government Academy, Philippine National Police Academy, Philippine Public Safety College, National Defense College of the Philippines, Philippine Military Academy, Philippine Science High School System, Science Education Institute, and state universities and colleges.

The DPWH is left with PHP1.007 trillion.

According to Finance Secretary Ralph Recto, it is the first time that education and infrastructure budget both hit the trillion-peso mark.

“That would augur well for the economy’s growth for 2025,” he said in a Palace press briefing.

Other agencies with the biggest budget allocation for 2025 are the Department of National Defense with PHP315.1 billion; Department of the Interior and Local Government with PHP279.1 billion; Department of Health with PHP267.8 billion; and Department of Agriculture with PHP237.4 billion.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has an allocation of PHP217.5 billion; Department of Transportation, PHP123.7 billion; Judiciary, PHP64.0 billion; and Department of Justice at PHP42.2 billion.

DepEd budget cuts

The administration is also looking to remedy the budget cuts in the DepEd, in line with the promise of the President to “restore” the slashed appropriations.

Although the executive cannot increase the funding of agencies once the bicameral conference committee submitted the budget bill to the President, Pangandaman said the government may still tap unprogrammed appropriations and excess revenues for education programs.

“As long as mayroon tayong (we have an) additional revenue from the DoF [Department of Finance], we can actually augment or increase the budget of DepEd. Specifically for computerization program,” she said.

Recto agreed, saying that the President prioritizes education.

“I think the President wants to prioritize the additional spending on education which is found in the unprogrammed portion of the budget. So, if there are excess revenues, we would immediately release that part of the budget,” he said.

The DepEd earlier decried the PHP10-billion budget cut in its Computerization Program, saying that it would widen the digital divide among students.