Lacson: Keep education budget first

Lacson: Keep education budget first | Daily Tribune

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Monday called on the Executive Branch to ensure that the education sector remains the top budgetary priority of the government, as mandated by the Constitution, warning against a repeat of what he called last year’s “congressional miracle” that saw the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) receive a larger allocation.

During the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) briefing, Lacson cautioned the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) against becoming an “accessory” to what he said was a potential violation of the 1987 Constitution, specifically Article XIV, Section 5(5), which mandates the State to prioritize education in its budget allocations.

“You need to remind legislators not to realign too much because we may be violating the Constitution. When you potentially violate the Constitution, that’s a major, major, major issue,” Lacson told DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

For 2025, Lacson noted that the DPWH was allocated P1.007 trillion, exceeding the P977.6 billion for the education sector — a move he criticized as clearly contradicting the Constitution.

He clarified that, constitutionally, the education budget covers only the Department of Education, State Universities and Colleges, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

To address the discrepancy, Lacson revealed that the DBM had retroactively “added” institutions outside the President’s original budget message, including the Philippine Military Academy, the Philippine National Police Academy, and the Science Education Institute, in a move that appeared designed to inflate the education sector’s total and justify the shift.

“Why did we allow the DPWH to get a bigger budget than the education sector? I hate to say this, but the DBM became an accessory after the fact, to justify the congressional miracle where the education sector’s budget was slashed,” Lacson remarked.

In response, Pangandaman argued that the Constitution does not clearly define the boundaries of the education sector, but Lacson countered that the President’s 2026 budget message itself limits the sector to the four core agencies.

He urged the DBM to remain consistent and vigilant during budget deliberations, particularly in the bicameral conference committee, where major reallocations often occur.

“Watch the progress of the budget bill, especially at the bicameral conference committee. We know that is where the biggest realignments occur,” Lacson stressed.

The senator also proposed a stronger stance from the President, pointing out that any congressional move to increase another agency’s budget beyond that of the education sector should be met with a line-item veto.

“My suggestion is that if Congress again mangles the budget, the President should veto the amount exceeding the budget of the education sector so that the budget of the DPWH or any other agency will not be bigger than that of the education sector, since the executive department cannot realign funds,” Lacson said.

Pangandaman responded affirmatively: “We agree.”