THE Department of Education (DepEd) under Vice President Sara Duterte failed to deliver almost P9 billion worth of laptops and other e-learning equipment in 2023, it was learned Monday.
At the hearing for the 2025 DepEd budget, the department’s director for Information and Communications Technology Service (ICTS) confirmed the Commission on Audit (COA) 2023 report which observed for that year, DepEd only spent over P2.18 billion of its P11.36 billion budget for computers, laptops, smart television sets and other e-learning equipment.
Director Ferdinand Pitagan was responding to Batangas 2nd District Rep. Jinky Luistro, who asked about the low 19.22 percent utilization rate for the Department’s ICT packages.
“Now, we have this P11 billion budget. You requested this for 2023. Bakit ang disbursement niyo ay P2 billion lang?” Luistro asked.
Pitagan explained that the 2023 DepEd Computerization Program (DCP) budget was barely spent for the year because DepEd was focusing on the previous year’s (2022) funds. He said the department is playing catch-up to these crucial deliveries.
“It’s hard for me to appreciate the explanation that your priority is continuing, which is the budget from 2022,” Luistro said.
“Why, therefore, did you request for P11 billion for 2023 if you’re going to say now that your priority is 2022, that’s why you didn’t use the 2023? You know, Mr. Resource Speaker, doon po sa amin sa Batangas, hindi po magkamayaw ang humihingi ng tulong na students, teachers, and even PTA officers lahat ang problema nila ay computers, laptops,” she said.
When asked, Pitagan said the current student to computer ratio of 1 is to 9, and a teacher to computer ratio of 1 is to 30.
“That is almost saying impossible to facilitate an e-learning system having one computer for 30 teachers,” said Luistro, who blamed these delivery delays for the dismal performance of the Philippines in the global learning test PISA.
PISA is the Programme for International Student Assessment. Luistro said the Philippine education standard has remained low over the past five years.
She noted that in 2018, out of 79 countries, the country ranked last in Reading and second to the last in Science and Mathematics. In 2023, out of 81 countries, the Philippines ranked 76 in Reading and Mathematics, and 79 in Science.
The congresswoman from Batangas also noted that ICT technologies change quickly and the computers brought several years ago may become obsolete soon.
According to the 2023 COA report, the DepEd Computerization Program is designed to upgrade the ICT competencies of students and teachers. State auditors reported a dismal budget utilization rate of 50.07% with zero accomplishment for fiscal year 2023, further underscoring the department’s operational failures for that year.
