Marcos to fix DepEd budget cut – Angara

President Marcos has vowed to turn things around for the Department of Education, after both chambers of Congress cut DepEd's proposed 2025 budget by P12 billion, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said yesterday.

- By NEIL JAYSON SERVALLOS

In a statement, Angara lamented how lawmakers' "promises and nice words" had led to budget cuts that he said could derail the DepEd's flagship computerization program.

"This, despite the President's SONA (State of the Nation Address) where he asked Congress to help bridge the digital divide," the DepEd chief said.

A former senator, Angara said the budget cut was a deviation from common practice among lawmakers to increase the President's proposed budget for education.

"In past years, Congress has increased the President's proposed budget for DepEd and education. For whatever reason, nakakalungkot na hindi ito mauulit sa (it's sad that this is not the same for the) 2025 budget," Angara said.

"Pero ang maganda dito, mismong si President Bongbong ang nagsabi sa amin na reremedyohan niya ito (But the good thing here is, the President himself told us that he would remedy this)," Angara added.

The bicameral conference committee last week reduced to P737 billion, from P748.65 billion, the DepEd's 2025 funding allocation in the reconciled

After Congress allocated zero subsidy for 2025 to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. ostensibly for inefficiency in fund utilization, organized labor pushed yesterday for the immediate removal of PhilHealth board members for compromising public health.

Labor coalition NAGKAISA called on Congress to protect Filipino workers by prodding President Marcos to fire the current leadership of PhilHealth and its board.

"Instead of punishing workers who are already burdened by systemic inefficiencies, Congress must push for accountability from PhilHealth's leadership. We cannot allow the people's health to be compromised further," the coalition emphasized.

"The Marcos administration must act and act now before it's too late. Fire the leadership of PhilHealth. The health version of the General Appropriations Bill (GAB).