DepEd’s proposed intel fund bigger than state intel agency’s

During the hearing on proposed budgets for the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and National Security council by the Senate finance committee, Senator Risa Hontiveros questioned the P150 million confidential fund request by the Department of Education (DepEd) as it is P9 million more than the P141 million sought by the NICA.

OTHER STORIES:

Teachers’ group calls on gov’t to give better support to teachers

In an earlier statement, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte said that the intelligence fund request will be used for the surveillance of criminals targeting school children and teachers.

We do not question the legal basis for the provision of confidential funds to civilian agencies like DepEd. But their confidential fund is higher even than what the state’s intelligence agency had asked for,

Hontiveros said.

She also said that while she supports any program by DepEd to protect students, the budget prioritization of DepEd is misplaced and would be best to leave intelligence and security to the professionals (police).

Furthermore, she cited other areas under DepEd’s mandate where funding is more urgent, such as ensuring the health and safety of teachers and students amid the COVID-19 pandemic, strengthening its education program for the indigenous peoples and improving overall literacy in the country.

Let us put funds that would benefit the students. We should empower DepEd to focus on its core mandate of helping teachers and students,

Hontiveros said.

The committee, however, already approved on Sept. 29 the P710.6-billion budget for DepEd, including the P150 million.