The Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Thursday clarified reports that the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 National Budget provides “zero funding” for the hiring of public school teachers, stressing that P31.220 billion is provided for the filling of 64,530 authorized teaching positions.
The two agencies clarified that while the FY 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP) does not propose another batch of new Teacher I positions for creation, this does not mean that DepEd cannot hire teachers in 2027.
Of the 64,530 teaching positions funded for filling, 31,614 are existing vacant teaching positions recorded in the Government Manpower Information System (GMIS) as of April 24, 2026, while another 32,916 teaching positions were newly created and approved by DBM in May 2026.
These authorized positions remain available for DepEd to fill as qualified applicants are hired. They do not expire simply because they are not immediately filled within the year they were created.
DepEd and DBM note that the 64,530 teaching positions reflected in the proposed FY 2027 budget are based on the official personnel data available to DBM during the budget preparation process and the applicable cut-off periods. These comprise 31,614 existing vacant teaching positions recorded in the GMIS as of April 24, 2026, and 32,916 newly created teaching positions subsequently approved by DBM in May 2026.
DepEd and DBM stressed that the 14,274 positions refer to a further proposed batch of additional positions, separate from the 64,530 authorized teaching positions already funded for filling, which may later be evaluated once gaps are still identified even if the authorized existing vacancies are filled.
DepEd’s subsequent Personnel Audit, however, shows continued progress in filling authorized teaching positions. As of September 4, 2026, DepEd reported that 33,250 teaching positions had already been filled, while 25,019 remained unfilled. For teaching positions newly created in 2026, DepEd likewise reported that 22,649 had already been filled, with 8,733 still unfilled.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the clarification is important for teachers and applicants who may have been given the impression that government would stop recruiting teachers next year.
“Let us be clear: hindi titigil ang hiring ng teachers. We have thousands of authorized teaching positions that DepEd can continue to fill. The immediate task is to get qualified teachers into these vacant positions as quickly as possible and deploy them where they are needed most,” Sec. Angara said.
“We understand the continuing need for more teachers, and we will continue working with DBM and Congress as enrollment, class size, subject requirements, and conditions on the ground evolve. But while that discussion continues, may mga bakanteng posisyon na tayo ngayon na puwedeng punuan. We should not lose sight of that,” he added.
P31.2 billion to fill 64,530 teacher positions
Budget Secretary Kim Robert C. De Leon explained that the FY 2027 NEP prioritizes the filling of the large number of teaching positions that government has already authorized but which remain vacant.
“It is simply incorrect to conclude from that that there is no funding to hire teachers. There is a very important distinction between creating a new position and hiring a teacher. Walang panukalang panibagong batch ng Teacher I positions for creation sa fiscal year 2027 dahil habang binabalangkas ang NEP, marami pa ang unfilled vacant teaching positions. That is precisely why we have allotted funding for this. There is P31.220 billion specifically provided for the filling of 64,530 teaching positions,” De Leon said.
The Budget Chief noted that the government has already authorized a substantial pipeline of teaching positions that DepEd has yet to completely fill. As of the April 2026 budget preparation cut-off, 31,614 teaching positions were already vacant.
On top of these vacancies, DBM approved the creation of 32,916 additional teaching positions on May 7, 2026—the largest annual batch reflected in government data covering FY 2022 to FY 2026.
“The priority now is to turn these authorized positions into actual teachers inside our classrooms. Hindi makakatulong sa teacher shortage kung patuloy tayong magdadagdag ng plantilla items habang libu-libo naman ang existing at newly created positions na naghihintay pang mapunan. The budget is there. The positions are there. Our focus should be on getting qualified teachers hired and deployed,” De Leon stressed.
The Secretary added that an authorized teaching position does not disappear merely because it remains vacant at the end of a fiscal year.
“These positions remain available for filling. DepEd may hire against these authorized vacant items in this year until next year, or until they are filled. Kaya huwag po sanang maniwala ang ating mga kababayan sa mga viral reels na nagsasabing walang hiring ng teachers sa 2027,” De Leon said.
The clarification comes amid reports that DepEd would be unable to hire teachers in 2027 because its request for 14,274 additional teaching positions, estimated at P4.29 billion, was not included in the NEP.
DepEd and DBM stressed that the 14,274 positions refer to a further proposed batch of additional positions, separate from the 64,530 authorized teaching positions already funded for filling, which may later be evaluated once gaps are still identified even if the authorized existing vacancies are filled.
P7.58-B for substitute teachers to keep classrooms staffed
Beyond teaching positions, the proposed budget provides P840.589 million for the creation of 2,135 non-teaching positions to strengthen administrative support in schools and allow teachers to devote more time to classroom instruction.
Apart from funding the filling of regular teaching positions, the proposed FY 2027 National Budget provides P7.582 billion for the hiring of substitute teachers to help ensure uninterrupted classroom instruction when regular teachers are temporarily unavailable.
Substitute teachers may be tapped when regular teachers are on maternity or other authorized leave, attending training and professional development activities, or temporarily unable to report for other authorized reasons.
“Hindi puwedeng tumigil ang pagkatuto ng isang bata dahil pansamantalang wala ang kanyang regular teacher. That is why the 2027 budget also provides P7.582 billion for substitute teachers—to help make sure that classrooms remain staffed and learning continues,” De Leon said.
Career progression already underway: P8.68-B released for 93,344 personnel
Government support for teacher career progression is likewise already translating into actual salary increases.
DBM recently released P8.68 billion for the salary differentials of 93,344 qualified public-school personnel whose positions were reclassified under the Expanded Career Progression (ECP) System. The release supports the payment of salary adjustments corresponding to their reclassified positions.
P12.09-B to expand teacher career progression in 2027
Building on this implementation, the proposed FY 2027 budget provides P12.090 billion for the ECP System, almost double the P6.148 billion provided in 2026. The allocation targets 135,063 position reclassifications, further expanding opportunities for qualified teachers and school heads to move up the career ladder and receive the corresponding higher compensation.
Under the ECP, qualified teachers no longer have to wait for a vacancy in a higher position before they can progress. The system provides expanded career lines from Teacher I through Teacher VII and Master Teacher positions, based on merit and competence.
P10.36-B teaching allowance, P38.78-B for teacher benefits
The proposed budget likewise provides P10.364 billion for the P10,000 Teaching Allowance, covering approximately 1.036 million teaching and teaching-related personnel.
Another P38.782 billion supports benefits under the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers, including P25.037 billion for the Personnel Economic Relief Allowance; P5.795 billion for the Special Hardship Allowance; P648.095 million for teaching overload honoraria; and P7.302 billion for the medical allowance of qualified civilian personnel, including teachers.
The 2027 NEP also provides P3.018 billion for the training of DepEd personnel, including P1.864 billion for in-service training and other learning and development interventions.
More personnel to take administrative work off teachers
Beyond teaching positions, the proposed budget provides P840.589 million for the creation of 2,135 non-teaching positions to strengthen administrative support in schools and allow teachers to devote more time to classroom instruction.
These comprise 1,000 School Principal I, 1,000 Project Development Officer I, and 135 Administrative Officer II positions.
The NEP separately provides P801.583 million for 2,021 school counseling positions, consisting of 1,800 School Counselor Associate I positions and 221 School Division Counselor positions, further strengthening learner support services in public schools.
Angara said these investments form part of a broader effort to address the actual conditions faced by teachers—from staffing and workload to promotion, compensation, health, and professional development.
“Ang kailangan ng ating mga guro ay hindi lamang dagdag na plantilla sa papel. Kailangan nating punuan ang mga bakanteng posisyon, bilisan ang hiring, bigyan sila ng pagkakataong ma-promote, bawasan ang administrative work, at tiyaking nakukuha nila ang benepisyo at suportang nararapat sa kanila. That is what DepEd will continue working to deliver,” Angara said.
De Leon emphasized that the proposed budget reflects the same approach: fund what can be implemented, fill what government has already authorized, and make sure appropriations translate into people actually serving in schools.
“Ang sukatan natin ay hindi kung ilang posisyon ang nakasulat sa papel. Ang sukatan ay kung ilang guro ang aktuwal na nasa classroom at nagtuturo sa ating mga bata. We have plenty of funded teaching positions waiting to be filled. Let us fill them—and make every peso for education count,” De Leon said.