THE SECOND Congressional Commission on Education has called on the Department of Education, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Budget and Management to update the guidelines for using the Special Education Fund.

Under Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991, cities and municipalities can levy a 1% annual tax on the assessed value of real property to support school operations and maintenance.

Currently, the SEF’s use is governed by Joint Circulars 1 (2017) and 2 (2020), issued jointly by DepEd, DBM, and DILG.

However, during a consultation at Batino Elementary School, a SPED Center transitioning to an Inclusive Learning Resource Center, stakeholders highlighted how many local government units (LGUs) have not tapped the SEF to support the implementation of the Inclusive Education Law (Republic Act 11650), despite provisions authorizing its use for learners with disabilities.

This includes support for school buildings, health services, assistive devices, and training in collaboration with DOLE and TESDA.

EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson, Congressman Roman Romulo, emphasized the lack of a clear strategy for involving Local School Boards and the SEF in implementing the Inclusive Education Act.

“Wala pa ring planong nape-present kung saan pumapasok dito ang Local School Boards natin at yung Special Education Fund. This is a holistic plan that must be presented by DepEd, including whether the funding comes from the national or local. Dapat ma-factor-in na yan… sayang kasi eh, taun-taon may savings sa SEF,” Romulo argued.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian stressed the importance of collaborating with LGUs to utilize the SEF more effectively.

“Let’s collaborate closely with our LGUs. In the areas of the SEF and manpower, the LGUs can augment whatever we’re doing… whether it’s vision screening, early identification—the LGUs can help a lot in assisting our schools on the ground,” Gatchalian stated.

Executive Director Karol Mark Yee explained the need to update the SEF guidelines.

“This is not the first time we’ve made this observation—it’s similar to findings in nutrition (Republic Act 11037) and the Alternative Learning System (Republic Act 11510). Despite clear provisions in these laws authorizing LGUs to tap the SEF to support nutrition and inclusion in education, the SEF guidelines have not been updated, likely preventing LGUs from supporting their implementation,” Yee said.