The Department of Education (DepEd), under the leadership of Vice President Sara Duterte, has been criticized for failing to utilize the P2.08 billion allocated from the 2023 Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) fund.
House Assistant Majority Leaders Paolo Ortega and Jay Khonghun described the failure as “criminal negligence,” putting students at risk.
Congress had allocated a total of P4.14 billion for DepEd’s disaster programs, including P2.14 billion for the Disaster Preparedness and Response Program (DPRP) and P2 billion for the Quick Response Fund (QRF).
Additionally, P2.24 billion in DRRM funds from previous years remained unused.
According to a report by the Commission on Audit (COA), several schools in Region 11, including the Libertad, Guilon, and Cogon elementary schools, continued to use classrooms with visible cracks.
In San Jose National High School, an old building remained in use despite the risks because the power line had not been transferred to the Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS).
It was also noted that DRRM funds were improperly used for travel, accommodations, and seminars of Schools Division Office (SDO) officials.
DepEd’s regional offices in Central Luzon, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga were also found to have unused DRRM funds, contributing to the issue.