ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro on Monday urged the Department of Education to release a full account of the obligated funds under the Bayanihan 2.

“Nasaan ang mga laptop at Basic Education Subsidies and Allowances? Bakit karamihan sa mga guro ay sariling gastos para sa internet load at pagpapagawa ng modules? Ito ay mga mahahalagang benepisyo at programa sa ilalim ng Bayanihan 2 na sinasabi ng DepEd ay 90 percent obligated na ang pondo. Pero hanggang ngayon ay hinahanap pa rin sa field ang mga ito,” Castro said.

She pointed out that the department should account for the funds allotted  for the acquisition of laptops and internet load for teachers.

Castro said that Bayanihan 2 also provided P3 billion to assist State Universities and Colleges in the development of smart campuses through investments in ICT infrastructure, acquisition of learning management systems, and other appropriate equipment.

Another P300 million was alloted for subsidies and allowances of displaced teaching and non-teaching personnel in public and private schools; P600 million for subsidies and allowances of qualified students and P4 billion for Digital education, IT, and Digital infrastructure and Alternative Learning Materials.

The law also provided one-time cash assistance to displaced education personnel; funds to augment the School-Based Feeding Programs; digital education; digital infrastructure; support to Alternative Learning Materials; printing and delivery of self-learning materials; loan assistance, subsidies, and grants to schools, teachers and students.

“Napakaraming provision sa ilalim ng Bayanihan 2 na malaki sana ang maitutulong sa mga guro at mag-aaral para sa mas epektibong blended distance learning. Pero batay sa mga naririnig natin na ulat mula mismo sa mga guro, halos wala naman silang natanggap mula sa DepEd na tulong sa kabila ng pagkakaroon ng probisyon at badyet sa ilalim ng Bayanihan 2,” Castro said.

According to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, the initial batches of laptops distributed were from DepEd’s 2020 computerization program, while none has been reported so far to come from the Bayanihan 2 provision.

Teachers have also reportedly not received the promised 100GB data allowance.

“Classes for School Year 2020-2021 will end this week, teachers had endured more than a year of undersupported, overworked, underpaid, and a failed blended distance learning program of the Duterte administration,” Castro said.