P51.6 million additional educ budget OK’d

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu Provincial School Board (CPSB) has approved a P51.6-million supplemental budget to fund additional education programs in the province, including the upcoming provincial sports and cultural meet and the construction of temporary learning shelters in Cordova and Danao City.

The supplemental funding was approved during the CPSB meeting at the Cebu Provincial Capitol on Tuesday, Oct. 6, as the Department of Education (DepEd) Cebu Schools Division adjusts to the new school calendar.

Of the total allocation, P20 million will be used to construct additional temporary learning shelters (TLS) in Cordova and Danao City, while P100,000 will cover the operational requirements of the CPSB.

Another P22 million has been earmarked as assistance to the 44 municipalities expected to participate in the provincial sports and cultural meet scheduled in December.

Each municipality under the jurisdiction of the DepEd Cebu Schools Division will receive a P500,000 subsidy.

An additional P9.5 million will be used to conduct the provincial meet, including expenses for uniforms and food for the officiating crew and DepEd personnel.

The additional funding was sought after the division was required to stage another provincial meet within the same calendar year because of changes to the school calendar.

DepEd Cebu Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Senen Priscilo Paulin said the division had already used its budget for the provincial meet held in February.

“The new school calendar has posed a challenge in the staging of our provincial sports meet because it necessitates us to conduct another provincial meet within the year so we can prepare for our participation in the regional meet which will happen after the last instructional block of this school year,” said Paulin.

Under the new school calendar, another provincial meet will be held in December to prepare Cebu’s delegation for the regional competition scheduled in March next year.

Paulin said the need to hold another provincial meet resulted in additional funding requirements for the division.

The CPSB’s supplemental allocation will also support the municipalities participating in the December competition, as well as expenses necessary to stage the event.

The DepEd Cebu Schools Division covers 1,143 schools in 44 municipalities and serves around 650,000 students and 27,000 personnel.

The additional budget will come from the CPSB trust fund, which stood at P1.5 billion as of July 31, according to Provincial Treasurer Atty. Roy Salubre.

Salubre disclosed the trust fund balance during Tuesday’s school board meeting as the CPSB considered the supplemental budget.

Paulin expressed appreciation for the support extended by Gov. Pamela Baricuatro, who chairs the CPSB, and the provincial school board.

“It really inspires us that we have somebody who is backing us up. Our mentality is who can fail if we have all this support? It’s very inspiring and we are just very grateful that we have a provincial leader who really sees what is in our hearts and what are our longings,” the superintendent noted.

Meanwhile, the construction of additional temporary learning shelters in Cordova and Danao City is another major component of the approved funding, with P20 million allocated for the facilities.