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November 25, 2021 – The Department of Education (DepEd) successfully defended its approved budget for 2022 amounting to Php 629.8 billion before the Senate of the Philippines last November 22, Monday.

DepEd and its attached agencies are set to receive a P629.8 billion budget for its National Expenditure Program for 2022, 6% higher than its P595 billion budget in 2021 to primarily support the expansion of safe face-to-face classes.

In her opening speech, budget sponsor and Senator Pia Cayetano lauded the Department’s effort to push for the safe reopening of schools which started last November 15.

“I am very proud that we are now finally opening the doors of our schools and welcoming the students back to the classrooms. I congratulate Secretary Briones and her team for relentlessly pushing hard for the President to acknowledge the importance of the resumption of classes for our young learners,” Senator Cayetano noted.

Meanwhile, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones thanked the Senate for recognizing the Department’s need to sustain the development of its program that mainly focuses on education recovery.

“On behalf of the DepEd family, we thank and welcome our senators’ inputs for effectively allocating these funds that will surely build upon our capacity to provide the needs of our learners and teachers especially that we are gradually reopening the schools,” Secretary Briones said.

DepEd has seen a significant increase in budget allocations in its big-ticket programs, including the Computerization Program (94.27%) and Government Assistance and Subsidies (5.73%), which includes the Senior High School voucher program, among others.

The budget for the General Management and Supervision (MOOE) has also increased from P7.61 billion to P8.09 billion to fund the health and safety needs of the schools in implementing face-to-face classes next school year.

In line with this, DepEd also appropriated Php 358 million for the newly created program called the Priority School Health Facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the Senate Plenary Hearing, the DepEd’s 2022 budget now awaits bicameral deliberations for their approval before the President.

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