Gatchalian flags underutilization of Special Education Fund

Though local government units have been seeking additional support for education funding, Senator Win Gatchalian flagged that the utilization of the Special Education Fund (SEF) remains low.

In a Senate panel hearing on the 21st Century School Boards Act (Senate Bill No. 155) and other related measures, Gatchalian cited a report from the Department of Finance (DOF) Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), which revealed that up to P15 billion from the SEF is underutilized.

"There seems to be a huge underutilization of the SEF. I don't know how come that in 2021, the underutilized SEF was as big as P15 billion. I assume that the SEF is always fully utilized because every time I talk to LGUs, there seems to be a big need on the ground for additional support to their education needs," said Gatchalian, author of Senate Bill No. 155.

During the hearing, BLGF Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Ma. Pamela Quizon reported that in 2019, the utilization rate of the SEF was only 66.7%. For 2020 and 2021, the utilization rates of the SEF were 67.9% and 63.8%, respectively. The BLGF official added that based on the reports of LGUs, the reasons for the SEF's low utilization include procurement issues and the limitation on where it can be utilized.

Gatchalian asked the BLGF to present to the Senate Committee on Local Government its analysis on the SEF's low utilization. He also asked the BLGF to identify where LGUs are having challenges when it comes to using the SEF so they can be covered in the proposed expansion of the fund's use.

Under the 21st Century School Boards Act, which he filed, Gatchalian is proposing to expand the use of the SEF to cover, among others, the salaries and wages of teachers and non-teaching personnel assigned to public elementary and secondary schools, operation and maintenance of ALS programs, salaries and wages of pre-school teachers, capital outlay for pre-schools, and honorarium and allowances for teachers and non-teaching personnel for services rendered outside of school hours.

Under the Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160), the SEF is sourced from the once percent tax on real property. The SEF is allotted to the local school board for the operation and maintenance of school buildings and the construction and repair of school buildings.

Malaking halaga ng SEF hindi nagagamit; Gatchalian nababahala

Bagama't patuloy na hinihiling ng mga local government units ang dagdag na suporta para sa pondo sa edukasyon, pinuna naman ni Senador Win Gatchalian ang mababang utilization o paggamit sa Special Education Fund (SEF).

Sa isang pagdinig na tumalakay sa 21st Century School Boards Act (Senate Bill No. 155) at iba pang mga kaugnay na panukalang batas, ibinahagi ni Gatchalian na batay sa isang ulat ng Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) ng Department of Finance (DOF) na aabot sa P15 bilyon mula sa SEF ang hindi nagamit.

"Mukhang malaking halaga mula sa SEF ang hindi nagagamit. Hindi ko alam kung bakit umabot sa P15 bilyon ang hindi nagastang pera mula sa SEF noong 2021. Naiisip kong lubos na nagagamit ang SEF dahil tuwing nakakausap ko ang mga LGUs, lumalabas na may malaking pangangailangan sa dagdag na suporta para sa edukasyon," ani Gatchalian na may akda ng Senate Bill No. 155.

Sa naturang pagdinig, iniulat ni BLGF Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Ma. Pamela Quizon na umabot lamang sa 66.7% ang utilization rate ng SEF noong 2019. Para sa 2020, umabot naman sa 67.9% ang utilization rate ng SEF, at 63.8% naman para sa 2021. Dagdag pa ng opisyal, kabilang sa mga dahilan ng mababang utilization rate ang mga isyu sa procurement at mga limitasyon sa maaaring paggamitan ng SEF.

Hiniling ni Gatchalian mula sa BLGF na isumite sa Senate Committee on Local Government ang pagsusuri nito sa mababang utilization ng SEF. Hinimok din ni Gatchalian ang BLGF na tukuyin ang mga bagay kung saan nahihirapan ang mga LGU na gamitin ang SEF upang maging bahagi sila ng panukalang batas.

Sa ilalim ng 21st Century School Boards Act, iminumungkahi ni Gatchalian na palawigin ang paggamit ng SEF upang maging saklaw ang sahod ng mga guro at non-teaching personnel sa mga pampublikong paaralan, pagpapatakbo ng mga programa para sa Alternative Learning System (ALS), sahod ng mga pre-school teachers, capital outlay para sa pre-schools, at honorarium at allowance para sa serbisyo ng mga guro at non-teaching staff sa labas ng regular na oras ng pagtatrabaho.

Batay sa Local Government Code of 1991 (Republic Act No. 7160), nalilikom ang SEF mula sa isang porsyentong tax sa real property. Nakalaan ang SEF sa local school board para sa pagpapatakbo ng mga pampublikong paaralan at pagpapatayo at pagkukumpuni ng mga school buildings.