Marcos Jr. orders restoration of P12B cut from DepEd budget

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has instructed the Department of Education (DepEd) to coordinate with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman to restore a P12-billion cut from DepEd's 2025 budget.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara expressed concern over the reduction, noting that P10 billion was intended for the department's computerization program aimed at improving access to technology in public schools.

President Marcos Jr. reiterated his commitment to restoring the slashed funds and emphasized the need for additional funding beyond maintenance to meet educational goals.

The President stressed the importance of addressing budget cuts to ensure educational development, highlighting that P12 billion is only sufficient to maintain current operations when more is needed.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri urged Marcos to remedy the budget cut, noting that education should receive the highest allocation under Article 5 of the Constitution.

Lawmakers defended their decision to cut the DepEd budget, stating it went through an exhaustive process and was approved by a majority in both chambers.