DepEd looks forward to approval of 2019 national budget 1 SHARES Share it! Share TweetBy Merlina Hernando-MalipotThe Department of Education (DepEd) welcomed the bicameral report on the proposed 2019 national budget, and is looking forward to its approval by President Rodrigo Duterte. In a statement, DepEd welcomed the report on the P3.757-billion proposed budget “as the agency with the largest number of stakeholders that benefit from the government’s timely delivery of service and resources.”DepEd noted that a “significant provision” pushed by Department was the “P800 million for our teachers’ allowance, which will be given on World Teachers’ Day.”The DepEd said it has “negotiated for the allocation as a simple yet necessary expression of gratitude for our teachers’ hard work and contributions to nation-building.”Meanwhile, DepEd assured that its leadership “remains committed to continuously expanding the scope of employee welfare, empowering teachers through sustained personal and professional development, and improving their working conditions through thorough review and simplification of systems and processes.”For DepEd, the national budget’s ratification enables the Department “to forge ahead with its programs and reforms to ensure that quality, accessible, relevant, and liberating basic education is attained by all Filipinos.”After months-long budget impasse, the bicameral conference committee has approved the report on the proposed P3.757-trillion budget for 2019 early this month. Meanwhile, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) – along with government workers including education workers, health workers — lambasted the ratified 2019 budget, noting that the national budget ignores the demands for “substantial salary increase and other benefits.” The group also called for the “rechanneling of lawmakers’ millions-to-billions worth of ‘pork’ allocations to the provision of economic relief to the people.”

Source: Manila Bulletin February 18, 2019 06:15 UTC