THE Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday said that it has released around P3.7 billion as an additional funding for the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) to all public schools nationwide to strengthen measures in responding to the risks of Covid-19.
Undersecretary for Finance Annalyn Sevilla said the funds that were released will be cascaded to 16 Regional Offices, 213 Division Offices, and 44,851 public schools nationwide. The additional funding will go to reinforcing implementation of the new normal set-up and minimum health requirements.
“Para po ito sa mga binibili nating supplies para po sa ating teaching and non-teaching personnel na pumapasok ay mayroon ding karagdagang proteksyon. Kahit po wala ang mga bata at hindi sila pumasok sa eskwelahan ay gumagana at nag-ooperate pa rin po ang ating mga eskwelahan [This fund is for the supplies that we are buying for our teaching and non-teaching personnel who are reporting for duty to give them protection. Our schools are still operating even our students are not personally going to schools],” Sevilla said.
For her part, Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones described the pandemic as a “continuous” challenge in delivering quality education.
“We have to implement enabling fiscal policies to keep supporting our stakeholders in the field. We have to fight for it and we have to be conscious all of the time because we know that we have that kind of a challenge at hand,” Briones said.
In preparation for the next school year, the MOOE will augment funding for the protection of teaching and non-teaching personnel against Covid-19 while in service.
The additional MOOE is to support DepEd Memorandum 39, s. 2020, issued on March 12, 2020, authorizing the use of regular allocations for MOOE and local funds to implement measures in preparing for and responding to the Covid-19 threats.
It also supports DepEd Order (DO) 11, s. 2020 or the Revised Guidelines on Alternative Work Arrangements in the Department of Education during the period of the state of national emergency due to the Covid-19 pandemic issued on June 15, 2020.
Lastly, the additional fund will be allocated to strengthen DO 14, s. 2020 or the guidelines for the required health standards in the basic education offices and schools issued on June 25, 2020.
According to Sevilla, DepEd has already released the MOOE to its field units early June and the Department is looking forward to seeing this funding utilized.