By Rodolfo Dacleson II
(March 7, 2025) – Former senator Bam Aquino on Friday slammed the alleged “ghost students” under the Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program of the Department of Education (DepEd).
On Thursday, the DepEd announced that it has terminated 55 private schools from its voucher system due to discrepancies in their billing information and the learner information system.
“Nakakabahala talaga ang balitang ito ng ‘ghost students.’ Pera ito na dapat napupunta sa mga kabataang nangangailangan,” said Aquino, who’s seeking a comeback in the Senate in the 2025 midterm elections.
Last February, DepEd secretary Sonny Angara revealed that the agency did not release vouchers worth over P52 million for the school year (SY) 2023-2024 to at least 12 private schools across nine regions accused of listing “ghost students.”
“’Yung mga nagnanakaw ng pera sa mga estudyante natin, dapat silang makulong at dapat nang matigil ang practice na ito,” added Aquino.
The DepEd is already investigating the nearly P24 million for SY 2024-2025 lost to the alleged corruption scheme for “ghost students.”
ALSO READ: DepEd to charge individuals behind ‘ghost students’ in voucher program
The DepEd was handled by Vice Pres. Sara Duterte-Carpio from 2022 until June 2024. Her two-year leadership came with controversies, including the request for confidential funds, low scores of students in international assessments, undelivered laptops, alleged rigged bidding for contracts, and the removal of learning materials in classrooms, among others.
The DepEd implemented the voucher program in 2015 to make SHS education accessible to low-income families and reduce overcrowding in public schools.
A voucher ranges from P14,000 to P22,5000, depending on the student’s location.
“’Yang ganyang klaseng corruption, napakasama talaga. ‘Yung pera para sa ating kabataan, dapat napupunta sa kabataan at hindi binubulsa ng iilan,” said Aquino, who’s running under Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino.
(PM)
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