DepEd asks Congress for school safety budget

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has asked Congress for separate funding to address school safety and learner protection measures, as the House of Representatives began deliberating on the proposed P7.2-trillion national budget for 2027.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday said DepEd is coordinating with legislators to establish a distinct budget line item in future national appropriations to ensure these funds are restricted to the protection of learners, teachers and school personnel.

Meanwhile, Angara also announced that today’s nationwide simultaneous active school shooting drills have been postponed following opposition from psychiatric associations.

Although the agency has yet to announce how much budget it is asking for, the funds will explicitly cover vital physical security assets and support roles, including security guards, school counselor associates, closed-circuit television systems, perimeter fences and walk-through and handheld metal detectors.

At the same time, DepEd asked local government units (LGUs) to complement these line-item allocations by utilizing Special Education Funds for immediate security needs.

Angara explained that while existing Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) cover general school requirements, funds are frequently absorbed by utility bills, instructional supplies and administrative upkeep, leaving insufficient budget for physical security hardware or specialized personnel.

“Presently, most schools rely on MOOE. Since MOOE varies depending on the size of the school, the capacity to implement security will be unequal. If this becomes a line item, we will be able to address the security needs of every school faster and more organized,” he explained.

DepEd said the proposal stems from a nationwide school safety audit that identified recurring security gaps and safety risks across basic education institutions.

The Department of Budget and Management has so far approved P976 billion for DepEd for 2027.

Safety drills postponed

In an interview with radio dzMM, Angara said the deferment of the “Nationwide Simultaneous School Safety Drill for Active Attack Incidents” is meant to get the inputs of the experts.

“Yes, we will postpone it. It can wait. We listen to the experts. We respect their views and we will definitely incorporate their comments,” he said.

In a joint statement, the Philippine Psychiatric Association and the Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry opposed the holding of the shooting drills, warning that these can inflict lasting psychological harm on children without evidence that these are effective in saving lives.

“We have nothing to lose if we wait a little longer. This is our first time doing it nationwide, although we conducted it at Manila Science High School. We are postponing it for now so that we can do it in the future, more in line with what they (experts) are saying,” Angara added.

The holding of the nationwide simultaneous active shooting drills came after last week’s Ateneo de Zamboanga University campus shooting.

“What we are saying is that it is a bit complicated. In Tacloban, there was a learner who was not injured (during the shooting incident) but he can no longer study because of the trauma. This is not our expertise, so we should listen to the experts so that we make sure what we are implementing is based on science,” Angara said.

In a separate advisory, DepEd said the nationwide active shooting drills will be rescheduled to the first week of September.

DICT, telcos blocking NVE sites

To combat nihilistic violent extremism (NVE) and harmful online content, the Department of Information and Communications Technology and major telecom providers are stepping up network-level blocking.

DICT Secretary Henry Aguda announced that internet service providers, including Globe Telecom Inc., PLDT Inc., Smart Communications Inc. and Converge ICT Solutions Inc., are voluntarily expanding site-blocking efforts against platforms hosting real-world violence, school shooting videos and child abuse material.

The government’s crackdown runs alongside active digital forensics conducted by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center. Aguda confirmed that gaming platform Roblox is actively assisting law enforcement. — EJ Macababbad, Ric Sapnu, Emmanuel Tupas, Ghio Ong, Rainier Allan Ronda, Daphne Galvez