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Bella Cariaso - The Philippine Star
January 15, 2026 | 12:00am
This file photo shows a facade of the Department of Education.
STAR / File
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has awarded 99 percent of its planned procurement in 2025, in line with President Marcos’ push to make government spending faster, more transparent and more responsive to public needs.
“When we entered DepEd, the marching order from the President was that every peso approved for education should be felt in the classroom. The budget cannot just remain on paper, it must be translated into books, equipment and support that actually benefits students and teachers,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said yesterday.
He said DepEd accelerated implementation through early procurement activities, with 91 contracts for 2025 awarded as early as January and all EPA contracts completed by March.
This enabled deliveries to schools between March and August, allowing learning resources to reach classrooms earlier in the school year.
Major procurement outputs included digital and classroom support items under the DepEd Computerization Program, such as 33,540 laptops for teaching personnel, 5,302 laptops for non-teaching staff and 30,440 smart televisions distributed nationwide.
DepEd also awarded 1.37 million science and mathematics equipment packages for public schools.
By the end of 2025, DepEd entered into contracts for 47 classrooms under the Last Mile Schools program, shifting to a design-and-build approach to address recurring project abandonment in remote areas.
Uneven support
Meanwhile, a study commissioned by the Second Congressional Commission on Education found that student support and equity measures in Philippine higher education institutions remain unevenly implemented, despite reforms that expanded access to tertiary education.
The study, “Affirmative Action in Philippine Higher Education Institutions: Evidence from a New Survey,” found that while Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act removed tuition barriers, several disadvantaged groups continue to face obstacles in accessing college.
