A move that seeks to eliminate non-existent or “ghost” beneficiaries, which were previously discovered by authorities.
“We are closing the systemic loopholes that unscrupulous individuals have taken advantage of in the past,” Secretary Sonny declared as he vowed the Department of Education’s strong resolve to fight scammers in its school voucher system.
This follows the agency’s intensified crackdown on fraudulent subsidy claims while rolling out major reforms under DepEd Order No. 11, series of 2026.
Under the new order, it updated the Enhanced Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) framework that fortified operational safeguards across the Senior High School Voucher Program.
To catch non-existent beneficiaries and invalid billings before money is released, DepEd is enforcing a five-layer billing validation process that looks to prevent, detect, and address invalid claims throughout the program cycle.
“Intentional fraud against our voucher program is a crime against Filipino families. To anyone trying to cheat the system, DepEd will not hesitate to prosecute you,” Angara added.
Last July, a Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Metro Manila convicted a voucher scammer, who was sentenced to imprisonment of over 14 years and fined PHP100,000 for submitting fake billing statements.
DepEd alsp noted that it continues to pursue criminal cases and complaints against erring private school administrators and former personnel involved in fraudulent claims.
Meanwhile, these tightened controls have shown positive results, with DepEd successfully withholding over PHP238 million in suspicious billings during School Year 2025-2026 and recovered PHP79.1 million in refunds from non-compliant schools.
The Education Secretary also noted, “By cleaning up our registries and strengthening our validation, we are protecting the integrity of the voucher program so that support reaches the learners and families who rely on it.”
Under the proposed Basic Education Voucher Assistance bill, tuition assistance beyond lower-income brackets will soon include middle-middle-income families and expands coverage to elementary learners (Kindergarten to Grade 6) starting in School Year 2027–2028 — a move announced by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. during his fifth State of the Nation Address (SONA).
The initial rollout targets over 292,000 elementary learners and nearly 18,000 private school teachers with an initial PHP4.34 billion proposed allocation across 2,632 participating private schools.
Under the newly ratified Basic Education Voucher Assistance measure, false voucher claims will be criminally prosecuted as estafa under the Revised Penal Code, carrying fines of up to PHP 500,000 and mandatory fund restitution.
Furthermore, to ensure stronger oversight over private educational institutions, the expanded voucher framework will also establishes a Bureau of Private Education within DepEd.
