PRESS RELEASE / 15 December 2021

The Department of Education (DepEd) can now better respond to the needs of public schools thanks to a new general provision in the FY 2022 General Appropriations Act (GAA) endorsed by Senators Sonny Angara and Pia Cayetano.

Both Senators pushed for the inclusion of a provision in the GAA increasing the capitalization threshold from P15,000 to P50,000 chargeable to the Maintenance and other Operating Expenses or MOOE. In effect, this allows more flexibility for DepEd’s schools and offices to directly procure printers, laptops, tablets, and other important items to help in their daily operations and the conduct of classes.

‘We thank Senators Angara and Cayetano for this much needed assistance for our teaching and non-teaching personnel at DepEd’ said DepEd Undersecretary for Finance and Spokesperson Annalyn M. Sevilla.

‘This shall enable our field offices and schools to purchase exactly the items they need, when they need it,’ Sevilla explained.

Previously, DepEd’s Field Units and Schools are only able to procure items up to the allowable P15,000 limit as stipulated in the Government Accounting Manual or GAM.

In addition, Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones also thanked the Commission on Audit and the Department of Budget and Management for their invaluable assistance.

‘Thank you to the COA and to DBM for their prompt response and for providing guidance in the matter of our request for the increase in capitalization threshold’ the Secretary said.

‘This is a remarkable legacy that the Chairpersons of the Committee on Finance and Committee on Appropriation, at the Senate and Lower House respectively, shall leave not only for the benefit of the Department of Education, but of the entire government as well,’ she added.

DepEd is currently expanding its pilot implementation of face-to-face classes, with classes recently opening in Metro Manila last week.
Photo credit to DepEd

Source: Usec. Annalyn Sevilla

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