THE House of Representatives aims to sustain appropriations for student mental health and child protection in the proposed 2027 national budget following a fatal school shooting in Zamboanga City.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, vice chair of the House Committee on Appropriations, said the recent tragedy at Ateneo de Zamboanga University—which left two junior high school students dead—underscores the urgent need to maintain initiatives introduced under the 2026 General Appropriations Act.
“Definitely because of the recent school shooting we experienced, I think these programs should continue,” Alonto Adiong said during a Thursday press briefing. “It’s become more disturbing knowing that in our schools, both public and private, we are experiencing this kind of violence.”
Under the 2026 budget, Congress allocated ₱2.37 billion to the Department of Education (DepEd) for school-based mental health programs, which included funding to create 10,000 School Counselor Associate positions aimed at providing student assessments and combating bullying.
Additionally, ₱89.92 billion was earmarked for child protection programs to safeguard learners from abuse.
As lawmakers prepare to deliberate on the proposed ₱7.2-trillion national budget for 2027, the House plans to scrutinize DepEd’s execution rate.
Alonto Adiong emphasized that the agency must account for its spending and show how many counseling positions have actually been filled before Congress decides whether to augment these allocations for next year.
“We would like to know how speedy the hiring and how speedy the implementation of these programs are. We’re talking about billions of pesos,” he added, noting that high fund utilization will be key to securing additional support.
Beyond mental health, budget deliberations will examine whether schools have sufficient Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE) to hire private security agencies and install safety infrastructure to curb gun violence.
The lawmaker emphasized that securing campuses is a broader societal challenge that requires comprehensive institutional backing across all public and private educational facilities nationwide.
