House Panel Questions Staffing at Three Disability Resource Centers While DepEd Reports Partial Operation

Lawmakers on Monday questioned the pace of implementation of Republic Act No. 11650, a 2022 law that mandates inclusive education for learners with disabilities. During a Department of Education briefing before the House basic education committee, Pasig City Representative Roman Romulo highlighted the absence of complete multidisciplinary teams at the three Inclusive Learning Resource Centers in Metro Manila.

The centers are located at Batino Elementary School in Quezon City, Alabang Elementary School in Muntinlupa City, and P. Gomez Elementary School in Manila. DepEd SPED Advisor Roland Montes initially described the centers as operational.

Romulo replied that the centers could not function without the required teams. Section 8 of the law requires each center to maintain an ILRC Supervisor and a multidisciplinary team that includes an educational psychologist, guidance counselor, developmental pediatrician, physical therapist, speech language pathologist, and other specialists.

DepEd Assistant Secretary Jerome Buenviaje stated that the centers are partially operational and that some team members come from partnerships with universities and health agencies, though staffing remains incomplete.

An EDCOM 2 study released in November 2025 reported that only 391,089 learners with disabilities were enrolled in public schools during school year 2024-2025. That figure represents 8 percent of the estimated 5.1 million children with disabilities nationwide. The Special Needs Education Program budget rose to P1.04 billion for 2026.

EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said the funds are unevenly distributed, insufficient, and often delayed. DepEd estimates an average allocation of P1,400 per learner, yet some schools received as little as P333 per learner. Romulo noted the absence of a feedback mechanism that would inform DepEd of implementation problems at individual schools.