ON THIS solemn Rizal Day, as the nation remembers the life, work, and ultimate sacrifice of Dr. José Rizal, the Save Our Schools (SOS) Network strongly condemns President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s signing of the P6.326 trillion 2025 national budget. This budget, cloaked in the guise of fiscal discipline and constitutional compliance, is a glaring betrayal of the Filipino people. It not only prioritizes corruption, militarization, and political patronage but also tramples on the very values Rizal fought and died for: education, justice, and the empowerment of the poor.
Dr. José Rizal once said, “The youth is the hope of our future.” Yet, this budget undermines that hope by sidelining education, slashing critical welfare programs, and abandoning the most vulnerable sectors of society. It reflects a government that prioritizes repression over recovery, patronage over progress, and politics over the people’s welfare.
By disregarding the Constitution’s mandate to prioritize education, this administration dishonors Rizal’s vision of a nation uplifted by knowledge and truth. Instead of funding classrooms, books, and opportunities for the youth, the budget channels billions into militarization, perpetuating fear and repression, and into pork-barrel programs that deepen the scourge of corruption.
Education: Betrayed and neglected
The administration's claims of prioritizing education are both misleading and deceptive. The Php 1.055 trillion allocation to the education sector is artificially inflated by incorporating budgets from non-education entities, such as the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA).
When limited to the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (Ched), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), education funding falls drastically short compared to allocations for infrastructure through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). This underfunding renders the budget unconstitutional.
Key failures in the Education budget:
Zero funding for computerization: The DepEd’s computerization program receives no funding, stalling critical efforts to bridge the digital divide in education.
Underfunded priorities: Essential programs are overshadowed by allocations to military and political initiatives.
Militarization over social services
The 2025 budget reveals an administration intent on repression rather than recovery:
Defense spending escalates: The Department of National Defense receives Php 315.1 billion—an increase of Php 43.2 billion from the bicameral-approved Php 271.9 billion.
NTF-ELCAC funding persists: Even as Lumad schools remain closed, billions are funneled to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), notorious for harassment and displacement of Indigenous communities.
Anti-poor measures: Welfare sacrificed for politics
Vital programs that safeguard the welfare of ordinary Filipinos face severe cuts:
Zero Subsidy for PhilHealth: The government’s withdrawal of financial support leaves millions vulnerable to surging healthcare costs.
Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) Slashed: A Php 50 billion reduction in 4Ps funding undermines essential assistance for impoverished families, particularly in Mindanao, one of the poorest regions.
Patronage Politics via AKAP: The Php 26.2 billion Ayuda sa Kapos ang Kita Program (AKAP) serves as a blatant vote-buying tool for the 2025 elections, granting lawmakers unchecked control over funds.
Mindanao’s Children: Abandoned and Neglected
Children in Mindanao bear the brunt of the administration’s misplaced priorities:
Education Crisis: Armed conflicts and disasters have displaced over 500,000 children, with more than 60% of schools in conflict-affected areas damaged or destroyed.
Skyrocketing Dropout Rates: BARMM suffers the country’s highest dropout rates, with 14.4% of children aged 5-15 out of school.
Chronic Hunger: Nearly 45.2% of children under five are stunted due to malnutrition, while 37% of families live below the poverty line.
Closure of Lumad Schools: Over 200 Lumad schools remain closed, depriving more than 10,000 Indigenous children of their right to education.
Unconstitutional and Corrupt
The Philippine Constitution mandates that education receive the highest budgetary priority. Yet this budget flouts that obligation by favoring militarization and fostering corruption:
Pork Barrel Politics: Discretionary funds, such as those allocated to AKAP, perpetuate corruption and election-related patronage.
Mismanaged Public Funds: Key sectors like education, health, and agriculture face significant cuts while inflation continues to burden Filipino families.
Call to Action
The Save Our Schools Network demands urgent action to rectify the injustices in the 2025 budget:
Redirect Funds to People’s Needs: Reallocate resources from militarization and AKAP to education, health, and social services. Public resources must prioritize people’s welfare, not corruption and repression.
Reopen Lumad Schools: Indigenous children’s right to education must be upheld. Support and reopen these schools instead of shutting them down.
Ensure Accountability: Leaders, including Vice President Sara Duterte, must be held responsible for mismanaging critical programs like education.
This budget betrays the Filipino people by sacrificing education for militarization, welfare for corruption, and progress for politics. On Rizal Day, let us honor his legacy by standing for justice, equality, and education for all.
Education, Not Militarization. Welfare, Not Corruption. Justice, Not Neglect.
SIGNED BY:
Save Our Schools Network Convenors
Prof. Marion Tan
Former Vice-Chancellor, University of the Philippines Diliman
Prof. Mae Fe Ancheta-Templa, RSW
Former Undersecretary, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
Sr. Concepcion P. Gasang, m.a., EdD
Chairperson, Educators’ Forum for Development – Mindanao