SENATOR Leila de Lima on Monday urged  Congress to investigate the deficiencies in the use of billions of pesos for the Department of Education’s Basic Education-Learning Continuity Program during the pandemic.

In filing Proposed Senate Resolution (PSR) No. 887, De Lima cited the 2020 Annual Audit Report of the Commission on Audit for the DepEd, which revealed that the Department has deficiencies in spending ₱8.136 billion in funds for its BE-LCP, which affects the worsening education crisis in the country.

“Despite the health crisis in the country, the overall management process, procedures, and transactions should not be delayed, and the program should not be affected by the ‘setback’ to ensure the continuity of students’ learning amidst the threat and uncertainties brought about by the Covid19 pandemic,” De Lima said.

“This pandemic highlighted the existing and worsening education problems in the country and it is crucial that the State protect its learners by finding solutions for these apparent lapses and gaps and also by ensuring that funds are appropriately utilized for the betterment of the youth,” she added.

The BE-LCP was crafted to address the difficulty of providing quality education to students during the pandemic without sacrificing their health and safety.

However, COA found lapses in the utilization of ₱3,220,873,835.58 provided under Bayanihan 1 and 2.

De Lima pointed out that the audit showed the lack in planning for the preparation of self-learning modules and procedural lapses in the checking/review and evaluation processes, thus adversely affecting the quality of the modules and the department’s objective of ensuring quality basic education.