Malacañang on Tuesday said there is nothing wrong with the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and the Philippine National Police Academy’s (PNPA) inclusion in the 2025 funding for the education sector.

Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said it would be unfair to exclude the PMA and the PNPA from getting a share in the allotted 2025 budget for the education sector since “the education responsibility has been shifted to other government agencies.”

“Alam ninyo, ‘yung (You know, the) language of the constitution is not that specific, na sinabing (and when it says) education, you have to look at this in a broader understanding. If before, the treatment was ang (the) budget ng (of) education was only allocated to DepEd (Department of Education), that was the wisdom at that time,” Bersamin told Palace reporters.

“Now, this is more a matter of looking at the situation. DepEd is not the only agency in the education sector, but it has the greater portion of the education pie, the budget for the education sector,” he added.

Bersamin statement came following criticisms over the inclusion of the PMA and the PNPA in the PHP1.055-trillion funding for the education sector for 2025.

The PMA is under the Department of National Defense, while the PNPA is under the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Bersamin said constitutional provision encompasses all areas of education, including the Commission on Higher Education, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and state universities and colleges.

“To claim na hindi mo dapat ibilang iyan sa (that it should not be included in the) education sector dahil nandoon sa PNP or ‘yung nandoon sa AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines), hindi maganda ‘yun (because the PNP and the AFP are there, that’s not good),” Bersamin said. (PNA)