Here’s the reason why Sec. Sonny Angara said taht DepEd can’t hire new teachers next year
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said that the Department of Education (DepEd) will be unable to hire new public school teachers in 2027 after its recruitment program received zero funding in the proposed national budget.
Angara confirmed the defunding during a congressional budget hearing on Monday, simply responding “Yes” when lawmakers asked if the allocation for hiring new teachers had been completely eliminated.
Based on the report in Inquirer, Angara said, in mixed English and Filipino, “Unfortunately, there was none, But we’re hoping that it will be hiked in the course of the budgetary process.”
The Department of Education (DepEd) faces a 3.87 percent budget cut under the 2027 National Expenditure Program, dropping to P973.40 billion from its current P1.01-trillion allocation.
In response, Secretary Sonny Angara is appealing to lawmakers for an additional P49.16 billion for personnel improvement, highlighting a P4.29 billion requirement to employ 14,274 teachers.
“This is part of the wish list,” the Education Secretary said. His appeal coincides with the legislative review of the P7.2-trillion national budget.
Because Congress holds ultimate authority over spending, lawmakers have the power to slash or modify funding, leaving DepEd’s budget proposal open to potential changes.
Angara emphasized that DepEd typically recruits 20,000 teachers annually, but secured sufficient budget to employ 32,000 teachers for 2026.
In addition to securing funds for Teacher I positions, Angara requested P16.64 billion to hire 39,428 Project Development Officer I personnel and P10.52 billion to fill 14,126 School Principal I roles.
