Makabayan bloc to move vs. DepEd's P150-million confi fund

The Makabayan bloc will question the P150-million allocation of the Department of Education (DepEd) as its confidential fund for 2024.

House Minority Leader and ACT party-list Representative France Castro, one of the members of the bloc, said the fund should be channeled instead for child care development.

"We will move for the confidential and intelligence  funds to be taken out of the DepEd and other civilian agencies and be realigned to the early child care development program because as of now, it is just P221 million and is definitely not enough for the program," Castro said.

Earlier on Monday, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte  justified the allocation, saying "education is intertwined with national security."

"Napakahalaga that we mold children who are patriotic, children who will love and children defend our country," Duterte said.

Castro said the huge amount makes the DepEd the "Department of Surveillance."

“This is supposedly to monitor and put under surveillance students and teachers they suspect to be involved in illegal recruitment. Is the DepEd now a police or military agency that is conducting surveillance operations on students and teachers?” Castro said.

“Dapat pala siguro Department of Surveillance na ang tawag dito at di Department of Education," she added.

The lawmaker said the department should be busy solving the learning crisis, providing adequate classrooms and a substantial salary increase for teachers and hiring more teachers, not conducting surveillance.

DepEd Undersecretary and spokesperson Michael Poa earlier said that the P150 million confidential fund will be used to address illegal recruitment activities in schools across the nation.

"This statement of DepEd is also proof that indeed it is profiling, surveilling and harassing members and officers of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers," Castro said.

GMA News Online has sought for DepEd for comment but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

DepEd also has P150 million in confidential fund under the 2023 national budget.—LDF, GMA Integrated News