A “grading system” to track down education expenditures needed - Chiz

By Office of Senator Chiz Escudero
September 19, 2014

PASAY CITY – Senator Chiz Escudero is proposing a “grading system” that will track down education expenditures after education officials failed to report on the status of classrooms built, books bought, teachers hired this year, for which Congress appropriated billions of pesos during the Department of Education’s (DepEd) budget hearing last Wednesday.

Escudero, chairman of the senate committee on finance said DepEd officials left many pertinent questions on key education projects unanswered. “It was like a spot quiz. I wanted to know how the agency has allocated the P309 billion budget of the year.”

The senator first asked how many of the 33,194 teachers who were supposed to be hired this year have joined the DepEd workforce.

DepEd officials present, who included all regional directors, could not give a number. They instead promised to collate the data and submit it to the Senate “as soon as possible.”

Escudero also inquired how many of the 43,183 classrooms programmed to be built in 2015 have been completed.

DepEd officials replied that they did not possess the information on how many brand-new classrooms have been turned over and being used.

Escudero’s next questions – on how many of the 42.6 million books have been bought and if 1.6 million new chairs have been delivered – also merited the same reply: No data available.

Even a purchase which, the senator stressed, was easy to track because of smaller volume involved – 38,315 sets of science and laboratory equipment – “also escaped the DepEd radar.”

He said “if the fund absorptive capacity of DepEd is low, then we must identify what and where the spending and implementation bottlenecks are.”

“Ang approved national budget ay parang lesson plan sa pag-gasta. Pag ganyan kababa at kabagal ang ating pag-gasta ay lalo nating pinapatindi ang problema sa ating mga pampublikong paaralan,” he asked DepEd brass.

The senator said “spending chokepoints in DepEd, or in the DBM which releases the funds, or in the DPWH which builds some of the classrooms must be identified and decongested. We want to maximize their fiscal space.”

“Ang assumption kasi natin ay ang General Appropriations Act (GAA) ay mismong release document na. Kung ganun, bakit naaantala pa ang pag-implement nito?” Escudero said.

Because Congress saw to it that the GAA will take effect “on the first hour of the first day of the first month of the year” then agencies are not pressed for time in utilizing funds, Escudero added.

“Maiintidihan ko ang anumang delay kung March na halimbawa ang effectivity ng budget. Sa ngayon na sabay ang bisa ng national budget sa pagpasok ng bagong taon, wala akong nakikitang acceptable na alibi,” Escudero said.

He reminded Education officials present that Congress acted on their plea for higher funding on the premise “that it was for urgent things and on the promise that it will be spent promptly.”

“When we approved your request, in full and without deduction, you entered into a contract with us that the personnel will be hired and the equipment will be bought in time for the start of the school year and you have a six-month lead time,” he said.

He reminded DepEd officials that the Senate has always given “preferential treatment” to their request. “Pagdating sa inyo, ang motto kasi namin ay ‘DepEd budget: Do not delay.’’

Escudero said “procurement and recruitment chokepoints” must be addressed this early so that the departments would be able to “absorb tens of billions for new teachers and classrooms and books next year.”

For 2015, government will open up 39,066 teaching positions at a first year compensation cost of P9.3 billion.

“Dapat siguro lagyan ng special provision ang budget item na ito na dapat ang recruitment process ay January pa lang simulan na para tapos ang vetting, nakapirma ng kontrata at nakasumpa nab ago ang pasukan,” he said.

A selection window of six months is more than enough, Escudero insisted.

Escudero also noted that there is P52.88 billion in the DepEd “wish list” for 1.3 million chairs, 31,728 new classrooms, for the repair of 9,500 classrooms, the purchase of 1.3 million seats, and the setting up of 455 vocational laboratories.

“Sa classrooms, dapat we hit the ground running in January. Kasi hindi maulan sa first half ng taon at summer. We take advantage of the good weather and we ready the rooms in time for class opening in June,” he said.