The PEAC organized the Annual Assembly of the GASTPE Regional Program Committees (RPComs) last February 20, 2026 at the Makati Diamond Residences, Makati City where officials from the DepEd Central Office, members of the PEAC and its National Secretariat, DepEd Regional Directors, PEAC Regional Program Directors, and PEAC Regional Program Coordinators gathered to discuss the implementation of the GASTPE programs in the current and following school years.
Atty. Filemon Ray L. Javier, Undersecretary for Legal and Legislative Affairs, delivered the message of Secretary Sonny Angara, which emphasized that public–private complementarity is a culture of collaboration and trust that brings together government accountability and private‑sector innovation to meet the needs of learners more effectively. Dr. Betty Cernol‑McCann, President of the Association of Christian Schools, Colleges and Universities (ACSCU), and Marco M. Benitez, President of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU), both PEAC members, also delivered messages and emphasized the indispensable role of the private sector in working with government to expand access, drive innovation, and uphold standards through partnership and collaboration in the education system.
During the program, Dr. Ronald Mendoza, Undersecretary for Strategic Management, gave a presentation on sustaining public-private partnership in education; Atty. Tara Rama, Director III, and Martin Española Jr., Project Development Officer IV, from the Government Assistance and Subsidies Service (GASS) presented GASTPE updates and the key features of the revised guidelines; Dir. Vernice D. Quintana, Director III, Private Education Office (PEO), presented PEO policy priorities for private schools such as the SHS government recognition, manual of regulations, and three-year action plan for the complementarity framework.
PEAC Executive Director, Rhodora Angela Fernandez Ferrer, PhD presented the current strategic initiatives of the PEAC such as strengthened GASTPE validation mechanisms, workplan for SY 2026-2027, recommendation based on key findings of the study, “Strengthening ESC Through Better Targeting and Adjusted Grant Structures,” and advocacy initiatives for stronger support for private education. The PEAC NS Management Team also presented the status reports on the ESC, SHS VP, TSS, and INSET in SY 2025-2026. At the end of the program, Dr. McCann was also given a plaque of appreciation for her commitment and service as PEAC Regional Program Director (RPD) for NIR.
