House probe on Brigada Eskwela funding sought

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June 11, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Akbayan party-list Rep. Chel Diokno filed a resolution yesterday seeking an investigation into reports of “out-of-pocket expenses” incurred by public school teachers under the annual Brigada Eskwela program despite existing government funding.

Lodging House Resolution 1102, Diokno urged the House committee on basic education and culture to probe reports that public school teachers continue to spend their own money for classroom repairs, facility maintenance, sanitation improvements and other activities.

While acknowledging that many teachers voluntarily contribute resources because of their commitment to their students, Education Secretary Sonny Angara stressed that teachers should never be expected or required to spend from their own pockets for school readiness activities.

The lawmaker noted that the 1987 Constitution mandates the government to adequately support education, including protecting teachers from financial burdens that undermine their welfare and professional responsibilities.

“There is a need for a congressional inquiry to determine whether existing appropriations, funding mechanisms and accountability systems are sufficient to ensure that public schools are adequately prepared for the opening of classes without requiring teachers to shoulder costs,” he said.

According to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, the DepEd has received a P1.015-trillion budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

The proposed inquiry will examine the extent of teachers’ personal spending, the adequacy and utilization of existing maintenance and operating funds and the implementation of policies prohibiting the use of teachers’ personal funds for school operational requirements.

With the resolution, the lawmaker expressed hope that the investigation could lead to stronger institutional support for teachers, including possible additional appropriations, reimbursement mechanisms, accountability measures and other safeguards.

Revised system

Amid these developments, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines (CEAP) expressed support for DepEd’s revised K-12 grading system under DepEd Order No. 15, s. 2026.

The group said the new policy signals “a decisive movement toward epistemic honesty in educational measurement,” particularly through the removal of transmutation and the adoption of a strictly zero-based grading system.

“In principle, this recalibration rejects the long-standing practice of ‘statistical compassion,’ where failing raw performance is algorithmically elevated to meet institutional thresholds, thereby obscuring the actual distribution of mastery,” CEAP said.

The association said the changes align more closely with competency-based assessment frameworks but cautioned that the shift also raises questions about equity and the varying levels of instructional support available to learners.

Angara said the new order promotes transparency in grading and ensures that learners are evaluated and recognized based on curriculum standards.

The guidelines will be implemented in all public elementary and secondary schools beginning School Year 2026-2027, with DepEd encouraging private schools to adopt them as well.

Fake news

DepEd also reiterated that social media posts claiming that Grades 11 and 12 will be removed this school year are false.

“We once again remind the public to be critical of the information they read online. Do not follow pages that share false information and report them immediately,” DepEd said.

The agency urged the public to rely only on its official platforms for announcements and information regarding basic education. –  Bella Cariaso