FACT CHECK: DepEd doesn’t offer monthly allowance to elementary students

Claim: The Department of Education (DepEd) is providing elementary students a monthly allowance ranging from P1,000 to P5,000, depending on the grade level. 

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The post containing the claim has 142 shares, 1,200 likes, and 2,000 comments as of writing. It was posted in a Facebook group with 619,800 members by “DS WD,” a Facebook page bearing the logo of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. 

The post features the DepEd logo and a picture of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte. Interested applicants are instructed to register through the application link provided in the post.

The facts: The supposed allowance for elementary students is fake, similar to previously debunked posts promoting various fake scholarship programs allegedly offered by the education department. 

DepEd, in a tweet on March 6, flagged the said content as fake. 

“The Department of Education (DepEd) warns the public about FAKE posts claiming that they give out “pang baon” for Grade 1 to 6 learners. Parents are strongly advised not to give out their children’s school information and identification to these kinds of hideous posts so as not to compromise their security,” the tweet said.

In January, DepEd clarified in a statement that it does not provide a monthly allowance to students, but instead provides subsidies to cover the tuition fees of eligible students. 

DepEd subsidies: According to DepEd, these are their current programs to support learners: 

• Education Contracting Service – a program that provides financial subsidies to qualified junior high school students in private schools. 
• Senior High School (SHS) Voucher Program – a program giving subsidies to qualified SHS learners in private schools. 
• Joint Delivery Voucher Program – a program that gives tuition fee assistance to grade 12 students taking the technical-vocational livelihood (TVL) track in public senior high schools “which have been identified as having inadequate facilities, equipment, tools, and teachers relevant to the implementation of TVL specializations.”

None of these programs provide a monthly allowance to elementary students. 

Blogging page: The link provided in the post does not redirect to the official DepEd website or any Philippine government webpage. Instead, it goes to a blogging site that asks individuals for their private information, including full name, birthdate, mobile number, email address, and home address. These personal details may potentially be used for phishing scams. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)

Fact-checked: Rappler has already debunked similar claims on supposed scholarship programs from various government agencies: 

• FACT CHECK: DepEd doesn’t offer up to P10,000 scholarship via online forms
• FACT CHECK: DepEd has no ‘Baon Program’
• FACT CHECK: Link for CHED scholarship program posted by fake DSWD page
• FACT CHECK: DOLE-NLRC has no scholarship program

For official updates on DepEd programs and services, refer to its official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram accounts. – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com

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