THE ALLIANCE of Concerned Teachers slammed the Department of Education’s request for P150 million in confidential funds for 2024.

ACT asserted that the request is questionable as DepEd’s mandate is to promote and protect the constitutional right of every Filipino to quality education.

It said that DepEd is not part of the security cluster hence its justification in requesting for confidential funds for surveillance and intelligence is “undemocratic and repressive.”

“Ang mga ahensiya ng gobyerno ay dapat bigyan ng kaukulang badyet na naaayon sa kanilang constitutional mandate. Ngayong taon, malinaw na ang alokasyon para sa confidential intelligence funds ay nawaldas lamang para supilin ang mga karapatan ng mga guro at manggagawa sa sektor,” Vladimer Quetua, the group’s chairperson, said.

“Nakakabahala ang pahayag ni VP-DepEd Sec. Sara Duterte na nakalaan ang pondong ito para sa surveillance at intelligence na nangangahulugan lamang ng papatinding atake sa mga unyon sa porma ng profiling at red-tagging,” Quetua added.

ACT urged Congress to instead prioritize the urgent and legitimate needs of the education sector.