Security personnel at the Department of Education (DepEd) headquarters in Pasig City on March 19, 2021. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News/File

Some schools with reported irregularities in the implementation of the expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) have started refunding the government subsidies afforded to them, the Department of Education (DepEd) said Thursday.

This comes after Commission on Audit's (COA) 2016 and 2018 reports that some "ghost students" or undocumented students had availed of the government program.

"Definitely refund, whether sinadya o hindi sinadya, kailangan ma-refund, and there are schools that are currently refunding certain payments that were made to them," Deped Spokesperson Undersecretary Michael Poa told Teleradyo Serbisyo.

(Whether it was intentional or not, there should be a refund and there are schools that are currently refunding certain payments that were made to them.)

Voucher program questioned due to 'ghost students'

GASTPE intends to address congestion in public schools by providing subsidies to underprivileged learners who transfer to private schools, Poa said.

However, a Senate hearing revealed that some 19,000 supposed "ghost students" had benefitted from the program.

According to COA, these are learners who enrolled but did not continue attending school and those who had been given subsidies twice, either in the same school or separate schools.

Poa said sanctions await private schools proven to have 'defrauded' the government.

"One is of course ay pag-suspend ng kanilang license. We can also revoke their permit or their recognition and syempre hindi naman po nawawala ang legal remedies natin against them kung sakali mang intentional ang pag-defraud sa  government," Poa said.

(One is of course suspending their license. We can also revoke their permit or their recognition and of course legal remedies are always included in case the defrauding is intentional.)

DepEd continues to investigate these irregularities which started before the term of Vice President Sara Duterte, Poa added.

The agency established a separate office, the Government Assistance Subsidies Office (GASO), to specifically monitor the implementation of the subsidy program.

"Ang office po  na po na iyan ang sumusuri  sa billings, kung may discrepancies hindi na po natin binabayaran muna until makapag-explain ang private schools kung bakit may ganoong discrepancies," he said.

(The office examines the billings, if there are discrepancies. We don't pay those yet until they could explain those discrepancies.)

Duterte also ordered DepEd's regional offices to regularly visit private schools to ensure proper compliance to the program.

DepEd will also soon release its revised guidelines on the implementation of the voucher program.