DepEd: SHS voucher anomaly reaches P100 M

Education Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday said that the voucher anomaly involving ghost beneficiaries under the Senior High School Voucher Program has reached P100 million, adding that the Department of Education (DepEd) continues to investigate the scheme.

- By BELLA CARIASO

"The money involved is not only P65 million, it's bigger. It reached P100 million and our investigation is continuous and we are implementing measures to strengthen the system so that nobody can defraud the government," Angara said during the 2025 Post-SONA Discussions in San Juan.

Angara said the DepEd will go after those involved in the irregularities in the implementation of the voucher program.

"We already filed not only civil to recover what we paid, and also criminal (charges) to serve as a lesson that our system should not be manipulated as we are talking here about a big amount of money," Angara said.

A cybercrime complaint has been lodged against individuals who tampered with the Learning Information System to include fictitious voucher recipients in a private school in Pasig.

In a separate case in Caloocan, three school officials have also been charged.

"It is not right that other institutions do not take seriously our programs for the youth and being played with," Angara added.

Angara noted that the government has already spent nearly P50 billion for the voucher program to support students in private schools.

"This (scheme) deprives students who should receive these vouchers as this is for the future of our youth. Almost P50 billion was already allocated for the voucher system for the private schools," he said.

Angara also revealed that the fraudulent activities were carried out in collusion with DepEd insiders who accessed student information.

The DepEd has demanded refunds from 54 private schools flagged for anomalies in voucher program claims for school years 2021 to 2023.