By Wilnard Bacelonia
MANILA – Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday dismissed concerns on the constitutionality of the 2025 Government Appropriations Act, underscoring that budgets for the Philippine Military Academy and the Philippine National Police Academy can be qualified as allocation for the education sector.
“Ang punto ko dito, since itong mga institusyon na ito nagbibigay ng (My point here is that since these institutions are offering) Bachelor of Science, it’s called tertiary education institutions (TEIs). And if you are a tertiary education institution, you’re a part of the education sector,” Gatchalian said during the regular Kapihan sa Senado.
Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education and the co-chair of the 2nd Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), said the confusion arose from the thinking that education pertains only to basic education or that of the Department of Education (DepEd).
“Ang nakasulat kasi dun [sa Konstitusyon] education. Hindi sinabi basic education. Hindi rin sinabi na tertiary education. Hindi sinabi na tech-voc (What is written there [in the Constitution] is education, not basic education. It did not also mention tertiary education, nor tech-voc). So, if you say education, that’s the education sector, including tech-voc,” he said.
According to Article XIV, Section 5 (5) of the Constitution, “the State shall assign the highest budgetary priority to education and ensure that teaching will attract and retain its rightful share of the best available talents through adequate remuneration and other means of job satisfaction and fulfillment.”
Gatchalian said the education sector still has “the highest allocation” under the 2025 GAA.
“Kasi kinompyut din namin yung mga kasama sa education sector, lamang siya. Because kapag sinama mo nga itong mga tertiary education institutions, lalamang talaga siya (Because we also computed what are included in the education sector, it’s higher. Because when you include these tertiary education institutions, it is really higher),” he said.
Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman announced last week that the education sector now has the highest allocation with PHP1.055 trillion following the cuts in the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways which is now left with PHP1.007 trillion.
The funding is spread across DepEd, Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Local Government Academy, Philippine Public Safety College, National Defense College of the Philippines, Philippine Science High School System, Science Education Institute, state universities and colleges, the PNPA and the PMA. (PNA)
