Private schools said on Thursday that the proposed Basic Education Voucher Program Act, already approved by the bicameral conference committee, could encounter implementation delays because of procurement requirements.

“We respectfully appeal for reconsideration of one implementation provision that may disrupt the timely delivery of the Basic Education Voucher Program,” the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) and its member national organization said in a statement.

“The issue before us is not whether the government should exercise oversight,” the schools said. “The question is how that oversight can be exercised without disrupting a program that hundreds of thousands of Filipino learners and their families rely on.”

Under the proposed measure, a third-party co-implementor must be secured through the government procurement process to ensure accountability. COCOPEA said the engagement process under current procurement rules could take as long as 12 months.

Government procurement in the Philippines is governed by Republic Act No. 9184, the Government Procurement Reform Act, which sets out competitive bidding procedures designed to ensure transparency but which have long faced criticism over bureaucratic bottlenecks and processing delays.

“Because the voucher program operates within the fixed timetable of every school year, such delays could affect enrollment planning, voucher processing, and the timely release of assistance to students and participating schools,” the group said.

“We therefore respectfully urge the members of the Bicameral Conference Committee to adopt an implementation mechanism that will preserve both government accountability and the continuity of the program,” it added.

The proposed expansion of the voucher assistance program is intended to cover learners from Kindergarten to Grade 12. The measure seeks to help ease classroom congestion in public schools nationwide by allowing students to enroll in private institutions. Classroom shortages have been a persistent challenge for the Department of Education, with the agency reporting millions of enrolled students in public schools each year against limited infrastructure.

The program gives priority to students from low-income households and disadvantaged sectors, including learners in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs), Indigenous Peoples, and beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, or 4Ps.

Students from low-income households or those classified as disadvantaged may also receive higher voucher amounts. Completers of the Alternative Learning System (ALS), as well as disadvantaged learners in GIDAs, are considered automatic voucher recipients.

“The Basic Education Voucher Assistance Act represents one of the most significant education reforms in recent years,” the private schools group said. “Its success will depend not only on sound policy, but also on timely, predictable, and uninterrupted implementation.”

The bicameral conference committee-approved measure is the reconciled version of Senate Bill No. 1981 and House Bill No. 4744. It seeks to amend Republic Act No. 6728, or the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act (GASTPE), which was enacted in 1989 to provide government assistance to students and teachers in private education. Once the bicameral report is ratified by both chambers, the measure will be transmitted to the President for signing into law. — Almira Louise S. Martinez