DepEd advances transparency measures in education procurement with Open Ownership partnership

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

MAKATI CITY, 2 February 2026 – The Department of Education (DepEd) has formalized a partnership with Open Ownership to strengthen transparency, integrity, and risk detection in public procurement, particularly in the education sector where government spending is largest and most geographically dispersed.



The partnership was sealed through a memorandum of agreement signed on Monday, positioning DepEd to pilot the use of beneficial ownership data in procurement. Beneficial ownership refers to identifying the natural persons who ultimately own, control, or benefit from companies participating in government contracts, beyond the names of incorporators or signatories on paper.

“Gusto naming malaman kung sino talaga ang nasa likod ng mga kumpanyang ka-transaksiyon ng gobyerno. Kapag malinaw iyon, mas madaling maiwasan ang problema at mas mabilis na maihatid ang silid-aralan, libro, at tulong na kailangan ng mga bata. Mas siguradong sa paaralan napupunta ang pera, hindi sa bulsa ng iilan,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.


With a record budget this 2026, DepEd is the country’s largest procuring entity, with procurement activities that directly affect classrooms, textbooks, school buildings, and learner support nationwide. The agency sees stronger transparency and risk management as key to ensuring that education funds are delivered more quickly and effectively to schools.


Under the agreement, DepEd and Open Ownership will conduct a retrospective analysis of selected procurement contracts to examine how beneficial ownership information can help flag potential conflicts of interest, undisclosed related parties, bid rotation, and market concentration. The pilot will also test which data points are most useful, at what stages of procurement they matter most, and how their impact can be measured.


Angara said the initiative supports ongoing reforms to improve budget execution and reduce procurement risks, ensuring that public investments translate into timely delivery of classrooms, learning materials, and services for learners.


The initiative aligns with the New Government Procurement Act, which institutionalized beneficial ownership transparency as a safeguard against corruption and collusion in public contracting. The law requires suppliers to disclose information on who ultimately controls or benefits from their companies, shifting procurement oversight from a purely compliance-based approach to a more risk-based and evidence-driven system.


Open Ownership, an international organization that supports governments in implementing beneficial ownership transparency, will provide technical assistance, capacity-building, and analytical tools to DepEd procurement officials. This includes hands-on workshops and the co-development of an impact measurement framework to assess how beneficial ownership data improves procurement outcomes.


DepEd emphasized that the pilot is a learning and system-strengthening exercise, not an investigation or a finding of wrongdoing. Results are expected to inform future policy refinements, internal controls, and procurement processes across the department.


DepEd is one of the first government agencies in the Philippines to pilot the systematic use of beneficial ownership data in public procurement, marking a significant step in operationalizing procurement reforms and advancing data-informed governance, as education continues to receive one of the largest allocations in the national budget.

𝐀𝐤𝐥𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐤𝐨𝐥 𝐬𝐚 𝐊𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐢𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐧𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭, 𝐈𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐚 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐧𝐢 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝𝐚

Wazzup Pilipinas! 



Inilunsad ng KWF ang aklat na Ubbóg Ti Asin: Kuwento at Kuwenta ng mga Babaeng Manunurat ng Nueva Vizcaya sa Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda na ginanap sa awditoryum ng PIA noong 28 Enero 2026.

Ang aklat na isinulat ni Dr. Lovella Gamponia-Velasco ay tungkol sa danas ng mga babaeng manunulat sa Nueva Vizcaya na madalas naisasantabi o hindi nabibigyang-pagkilala ang malikhaing talino sa larangan ng panitikan.



Ayon sa awtor, ang ubbóg ti asin ay Ilokanong termino na literal na nangangahulugang “salt spring” sa Ingles at ipinahahayag bilang metapora ng kababaihang manunulat na hindi kilala.



Sa konteksto, mayroong ubbóg ti asin na dating dinarayo sa Nueva Vizcaya na tumigil sa pagluwal ng tubig at asin noong dekada 90 dahil sa isang lindol. Pagkatapos ng maraming taon, nagkaroon ng bagong ubbóg ti asin na patuloy pang lumalaki at pinangangalagaan sa lalawigan.



Inuugnay ito ni Gamponia-Velasco sa kaniyang akda sa pagbawi, pagkilala, at pagbibigay-boses sa mga babaeng manunulat mula sa Nueva Vizcaya.



Mula ang aklat na ito sa nagwaging disertasyon sa Gawad Julian Cruz Balmaseda noong 2017. Ang Gawad Balmaseda ay pagkilala sa pinakamahusay na tesis at disertasyon na nakasulat sa Filipino bilang ambag sa intelektuwalisasyon ng wikang pambansa.



Si Gamponia-Velasco ay kasalukuyang nanunungkulan bilang Professor 6 sa Research and Development Office at Campus Coordinator ng Nueva Vizcaya State University.

Disaster relief led San Miguel Foundation’s nationwide initiatives in 2025

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

 

San Miguel Foundation (SMF), the social development arm of San Miguel Corporation, said disaster relief accounted for the largest share of its activities in 2025 following a series of major calamities, even as it sustained community programs in health, nutrition, education and food security nationwide.

 

The foundation reported reaching about 192,000 marginalized and displaced Filipinos during the year, with disaster response generating the highest number of beneficiaries due to the scale of its relief operations.

 

SMF’s nationwide Team Malasakit employee-volunteer network distributed food, water and other essential supplies to at least 156,760 people affected by multiple typhoons, earthquakes in Cebu and Bacolod, and a major fire in Tondo, Manila.

“We deployed as much assistance and volunteers as we could to respond to our countrymen in times of need, while continuing to strengthen programs designed to provide longer-term support,” said SMC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ramon S. Ang.

 

Participation increased across SMF’s Better World Centers, which anchor its community programs in some of the country’s most underserved areas.

 

At Better World Tondo and Better World Smokey Mountain, SMF delivered food assistance alongside education, livelihood and health interventions for families in urban poor communities, including learning support for children and skills training for parents.

 

At Better World Cubao, the foundation ran year-long programs for women, including learning sessions, mental health discussions and digital literacy classes, supported by volunteer engagement. The center also hosted medical and laboratory services for women through the government’s Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Center, operated in partnership with Quirino Memorial Medical Center.

 

“This helps close gaps in access to healthcare for underserved communities,” Ang said, noting that a fully operational BUCAS Center is now serving patients at Better World Smokey Mountain.

 

Healthcare services expanded nationwide, with SMF’s Better World Clinics growing to nine sites in 2025 and serving active patients through consultations, diagnostics and medicine distribution.

 

Nutrition programs were sustained through the First 1,000 Days initiative for mothers and infants, implemented with local governments, while food security efforts continued through the Backyard Bukid program, which supports community-based food production.

 

SMF also continued feeding and education programs in institutional settings, including at the New Bilibid Prison, where meals and learning support were provided during the year.

 

Volunteer engagement across SMC’s business units totaled about 57,000 hours in 2025, supporting hundreds of outreach activities nationwide.

 

 

PHOTOS:

SMC Chairman and CEO Ramon S. Ang visited Cebu, where Team Malasakit employee-volunteers distributed food packs for earthquake victims.

   

Team Malasakit prepared hot meals for typhoon Uwan victims in Quezon City, under Better World Diliman’s food rescue initiative.

 

 

Better World Bilibid funded a fully-equipped computer room and upgraded other facilities at the school operating at the Medium Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison.