To: Undersecretaries
Assistant Secretaries
Bureau Directors
Directors of Services/Centers and Heads of Units
Regional Directors
Schools Division/City Superintendents
All Others Concerned

1. In preparation of the Department’s programs, projects and activities (PPAs), all DepED offices and schools nationwide shall pursue PPAs directly supportive of the policy directions identified in the “Schools First Initiative (SFI)”. PPAs shall focus in helping all Filipino learners attain appropriate basic education competencies.
2. Furthermore, as agreed upon with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the Department PPAs must be within the Major Final Outputs (MFOs) found in Enclosure No. 1. These MFOs serve as DBM’s guide for reviewing the Agency’s Performance for a particular year, and results form the bases for future budgetary decisions by DBM.
3. Due to limited resources to support the above directions, the synchronized program and financial planning (SPFP) system tried out in FY 2004 for the FY 2005 budget and circularized through DepED Memorandum No. 185, s. 2004, is hereby institutionalized. To this end, a graphical presentation of the synchronized system is shown in Enclosure No. 2 with suggested timelines.
4. The DepED PPAs must be based on yearly or multi-year plans previously developed, and must contain specific measures to improve learning outcomes in all levels. For this purpose, everyone is expected to track closely the progress of PPA implementation and to report such progress in the quarterly report of agency performance.
5. Enclosure 3 shows the list and functions of committees that will spearhead the SPFP activities at the Central level.
6. Only PPAs duly endorsed by both Program Committee (PROGCOM) and Finance Committee (FINCOM) will be acted upon by the Executive Committee (EXECOM) and which will be included in DepED’s agency budget. Both committees are authorized to hold workshops/conferences and to tap resource persons, as may be deemed necessary, in the discharge of their respective functions.
7. DepED regional and division offices are encouraged to adopt a similar system of synchronized program and financial planning to optimize use of limited resources, and to ensure that to PPAs improve learning outcomes. The Planning Office is recommended to serve as the Secretariat for the Committee on Programs, while the Budget Office is recommended for the Committee on Finance.
8. All DepED Orders and other issuances inconsistent herewith are hereby revoked or modified accordingly.
9. Immediate dissemination of this Order is desired.

Encls:
As stated
Reference:
DepED Memorandum: (No. 185, s. 2004)
Allotment: 1—(D.O. 50-97)

To be indicated in the Perpetual Index under the following subjects:
COMMITTEES
OFFICIALS
FUNDS

DO_s2005_061