The 2025 Philippine National Budget has sparked significant controversy, particularly on the budget reductions for the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). Despite education receiving the largest allocation, P1.053 trillion, in the 2025 National Budget, concerns persist about the adequacy of funding for critical programs. This reduction primarily affects the department’s computerization program, which aims to provide computers and electronic gadgets to public school students. Notably, the DepEd computerization program faced a P10-billion cut, raising questions about the government’s commitment to enhancing digital literacy and modernizing educational infrastructure.
Note that the budget for DepEd was reduced by ₱12 billion, decreasing from an initial ₱748.6 billion to ₱737 billion in the final General Appropriations Bill. Similarly, CHED’s budget was substantially cut by ₱30 billion, removing the proposed ₱ 3 billion funding for free higher education. These budget cuts in both DepEd and CHED could affect the quality of education, potentially leading to larger class sizes, reduced resources, and limited access to higher education opportunities.
On the other hand, many say the country’s 2025 national budget failed to meet the constitutional mandate of prioritizing education. This controversy arises from allocating funds to the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) under the education sector’s budget. Critics argue that these institutions, while educational in function, primarily serve as training grounds for uniformed services, and their inclusion skews the intention of prioritizing civilian education. Hence, including funding for military and police academies within the education sector’s budget not only circumvents the constitutional requirement to assign the highest budgetary priority to education but, to a greater extent, dilutes the resources available for basic and higher education and technical skills development to address systemic challenges in the Philippine education system. PMA and PNPA budget allocation should be under their respective departments, such as the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
The 1987 Philippine Constitution (Article XIV, Section 5) explicitly mandates that the government assigns education the highest budgetary priority. This is rooted in the principle that education is a critical foundation for national development and a means of uplifting Filipinos’ socio-economic status. Hence, this circumvention reduces the funds reallocation available for core educational programs and services managed by DepEd and the CHED and indicates that Marcos Jr. is not fully honoring the spirit of the constitutional provision to uplift education, especially in light of the budget cuts for DepEd and CHED.
Conclusion
Hence, it is important to clearly categorize budgets for military and police academies, distinct from civilian education allocations, which could, to a greater degree, reflect adherence to constitutional priorities. Likewise, the abrupt budget cuts in education may have far-reaching consequences on the country’s socioeconomic development, especially when other critical education programs face budget cuts.
Source: The Lobbyist
https://www.thelobbyist.biz/perspectives/article-details/prime%20insight/undermining-education
