In a firm rebuttal from the Department of Education (DepEd) Ilocos regional office, claims of misusing public funds through the enrollment of so-called ‘ghost students’ in the Alternative Learning System (ALS) under the Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program have been strongly denied. The statement, issued from Malasiqui, Pangasinan, came in response to a viral video that accused the program of fraudulent activities in Umingan and Tayug, Pangasinan, suggesting that billions of pesos were misappropriated.
DepEd Ilocos Director Tolentino Aquino labeled the accusations as baseless and malicious, designed to tarnish the reputation of the department and its staff. He described the allegations as the product of a misguided imagination, aimed at defaming the department. The controversy arose from claims that fake students were enrolled in the SHS Voucher Program, enabling the diversion of government funds by certain officials.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara has initiated an internal investigation into the matter, focusing on 12 private schools across nine school divisions suspected of illegally benefiting from the voucher program. Director Aquino expressed support for the investigation and reassured the public of DepEd Ilocos’s commitment to protecting the Government Assistance and Subsidies (GAS) Program for private schools.
Aquino highlighted the regular monitoring conducted by regional and division offices of schools receiving government assistance. He also mentioned that reports on ALS graduates under the SHS Voucher Program are regularly submitted to the Private Education Assistance Committee (PEAC) for review. Despite the allegations, Aquino reiterated DepEd’s dedication to transparency and accountability, ensuring the responsible use of public funds.