| Senator Pia Cayetano handing papers to her staff | Contributed Photo
PASAY CITY, Philippines—Budget Sponsor Senator Pia Cayetano successfully defended the Department of Education (DepEd) budget during the plenary meeting of the Senate of the Philippines. DepEd and its attached agencies received an allocation of P793,740 billion under the General Appropriations Bill (GAB). The 2025 budget is 3.99% higher than the agency’s budget provided in the General Appropriations Law (GAA) in 2024.
During her sponsorship speech, Cayetano said that in the past years, “we have always tried to be sustainable but also resilient to future challenges considering intergenerational fairness.” “This is the idea that the needs of the present generation should be met without compromising the needs of the future generations,” she said.
She also thanked Senator Grace Poe, Chairman of the Committee on Finance, for “granting me some of the Committee’s proposals.”
The Senate’s Committee approval of DepEd’s budget will boost DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara’s five-point agenda and reflect President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directives on a conducive learning environment, efficient learning delivery, upskilled teachers, employable students, and raised achievement levels.
Funds are also allocated to DepEd’s attached agencies, including the National Book Development Board (NBDB), the National Council for Children Television (NCCT), the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA), the National Museum of the Philippines, the Early Childhood Care and Development Council (ECCD), and the National Academy of Sports (NAS).
Several DepEd programs also received significant funding boosts, including Basic Education Facilities (P36.81-B), Basic Education Curriculum (P3.69-B), Early Language Literacy and Numeracy (P106.23M), Physical Fitness and School Sports (P479.17M), and Implementation of the Grant of Cash allowance, Hardship Pay, and Reclassification of Positions (19.77B).
The Senate approved DepEd’s 2025 budget, which will now go to bicameral deliberation and the president’s final approval
–With Jay Domingo/PDM.
