The Department of Education said on Monday it had requested funding from the Department of Budget and Management for the construction of administration buildings based on the need for such infrastructures.
The DepEd was reacting to the claim of Raymond Basilio, secretary general of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, in his social media posts on Saturday that their group’s actions prompted the department to include the construction of administration buildings in its 2020 budget proposal.
“Last May 21, before the faculty room incident in Bacoor went viral and before the resulting protest of ACT, the department already presented and defended its 2020 Tier 2 proposal to the DBM,” the DepEd said, adding that it has requested PHP24.98 billion for the initial batch of administration buildings.
“These [administration buildings] will house the principal’s office, faculty room, guidance room, library, and school supplies and equipment storage during calamities. The preparation for the proposal came much earlier,” the DepEd added.
The DepED said its Basic Education Facilities Fund “historically prioritized the construction and rehabilitation of classrooms” but it is prepared to construct faculty rooms and other ancillary facilities upon the authorization of the national budget.
“The department hopes Mr. Basilio will stop misleading our teachers and the public by claiming credit for DepEd’s initiative while portraying that the department is not doing anything about the challenges in the education sector,” the DepEd said.