DepEd chief warns voucher scammers

Education Secretary Sonny Angara warned fraudsters that the Department of Education (DepEd) is bolstering its anti-fraud measures and legal prosecution to eliminate non-existent beneficiaries and ensure public funds reach deserving learners.

The warning follows DepEd’s intensified crackdown on fraudulent subsidy claims while rolling out major reforms under DepEd Order No. 11, series of 2026, which updated the Enhanced Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) framework.

“We are closing the systemic loopholes that unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of in the past,” Angara declared. “Intentional fraud against our voucher program is a crime against Filipino families. To anyone trying to cheat the system, DepEd will not hesitate to prosecute you.”

Following recent developments, including a conviction before a Regional Trial Court in Metro Manila in July, wherein a voucher scammer was sentenced to imprisonment of over 14 years and fined P100,000 for submitting fake billing statements, DepEd continues to pursue criminal cases and complaints against erring private school administrators and former personnel involved in fraudulent claims.

Under the newly ratified Basic Education Voucher Assistance measure, false voucher claims will be criminally prosecuted as estafa under the Revised Penal Code, carrying fines of up to P500,000 and mandatory fund restitution.

To catch non-existent beneficiaries and invalid billings before money is released, DepEd is enforcing a five-layer billing validation process. DepEd Order No. 11, s. 2026, which revised the guidelines on the implementation of E-GASTPE, has fortified operational safeguards across the Senior High School Voucher Program. The measures are intended to prevent, detect, and address invalid claims throughout the program cycle.

Through these tightened controls, DepEd has successfully withheld over P238 million in suspicious billings during school year 2025-2026 and recovered P79.1 million in refunds from non-compliant schools.

Angara emphasized that these reforms fulfill President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to ease financial burdens on Filipino families and widen access to quality education.

“Our mandate from President Bongbong Marcos is to ensure every peso of government assistance delivers real value to our people. By cleaning up our registries and strengthening our validation, we are protecting the integrity of the voucher program so that support reaches the learners and families who rely on it,” Angara said.

Once enacted, the Basic Education Voucher Assistance bill extends tuition assistance beyond lower-income brackets to include middle-middle-income families and expands coverage to elementary learners (Kindergarten to Grade 6) starting in school year 2027–2028. This initial rollout targets over 292,000 elementary learners and nearly 18,000 private school teachers with an initial P4.34 billion proposed allocation across 2,632 participating private schools.