Press Release - Education budget - highlights of Sen. Pia's statements

OPENING STATEMENT

Mr President, I am ready to sponsor the budget of the Department of Education:

The Office of the Secretary, with a total new appropriation of P715,839,092,000

The Early Childhood Care and Development Council, with a total new appropriation of P290,166,000

National Academy of Sports, with a total new appropriation of P230,587,000

National Book Development Board with a total new appropriation of P178,471,000

National Council for Children's Television, with a total new appropriation of P82,080,000

National Museum of the Philippines, with a total new appropriation of P1,364,202,000

Philippine High School for the Arts, with a total new appropriation of P98,241,000

With this, your honor, I am ready to accept questions from our colleagues.

RESPONSE TO SEN. TULFO (PART 1)

Thank you, Mr President. Mr President, the concern of the gentleman was raised during the [finance committee] hearing. And the Vice President, Secretary of DepEd, responded by mentioning Department Order No. 49, Series of 2022, which is a No Fee, No Collection Policy, which they are strictly implementing. And it was further discussed during that hearing that there is the PTA in almost every school that does their own fundraising efforts. And it being a parent-initiated organization, they are allowed to do that. So, in connection with the law that his honor pointed out, that is exactly consistent with the Department Order of the Department, which is... So the Department Order has the very same policy, 'no fee, no collection.' The Department, and all the subordinates, meaning the teachers, are not allowed to initiate or to tolerate these collection efforts. But this does not prevent the parents from having their own fundraising. This system has been practiced for decades... and it has been a private initiative of the parents that has allowed many projects to see the light, anything from gates, fencing, gardening, events. It's a PTA initiative. And I think that's why it was mentioned that if there is a desire to change that policy, there must be a law because currently the DepEd Order is consistent with the existing law mentioned by his honor.

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Your honor, if his honor can give me a