Assalamu alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

Last Aug. 18, 2025, as Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary and Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) Chair, I had the honor and privilege to brief the members of the House of Representatives on the ₱6.793 trillion Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).

During my speech, I highlighted that the proposed FY 2026 national budget, with the theme, “Agenda for Prosperity: Nurturing Future-Ready Generations to Achieve the Full Potential of the Nation,” will prioritize upholding our people’s fundamental rights.

To do this, we, in the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM), are resolute in realizing the objectives of the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028, anchored on the following pillars: 1) Developing and protecting the capabilities of individuals and families; 2) Transforming production sectors to generate more quality jobs and competitive products; and 3) Creating an enabling environment.

In this week’s article, let us focus on a vital sector under the first pillar—education.

During his fourth State of the Nation Address, PBBM underscored that the education sector remains his top priority. I agree with and laud the President for emphasizing this. I believe that education is more than just a line item in the budget—it is the heartbeat of our nation’s future. This fuels our determination to resolve the education crisis, address child nutrition issues, and support our youth so they may find jobs and, more importantly, follow their dreams.

I am pleased to note that to fulfill the President's promise and adhere to our constitutional mandate, we prioritized education under the FY 2026 NEP by providing the sector with the largest investment.

In fact, the proposed FY 2026 budget for basic and higher education, amounting to ₱1.224 trillion, is approximately four percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, meeting the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO’s) recommended spending for education for the first time. At around 16.6 percent of the proposed budget, it also meets the UNESCO Education 2030 Framework’s requirement of allocating 15 to 20 percent of the total public expenditure to education, exceeding the global average of 14.2 percent. These are firsts for our country, and we want to thank the President for supporting us as we ensure that the government immediately responds to the needs of the next generation of leaders.

Of the total amount allocated to the education sector, ₱928.5 billion will go to the Department of Education (DepEd), an 18.7 percent increase from the ₱782.2 billion allocation in the FY 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA). Meanwhile, ₱134.9 billion has been allocated for State Universities and Colleges, a 6.1 percent increase from ₱127.2 billion in this year’s GAA; ₱33.9 billion to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED); and ₱20.2 billion to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

We are modernizing teaching methods by increasing the allocation for DepEd’s Computerization Program to ₱16.5 billion from ₱2.4 billion, a 576.8 percent increase to support the procurement of more laptops, smart TVs, e-learning carts, and school-wide internet for thousands of public schools.

To address learner nutrition and well-being, we allotted ₱11.8 billion for the School-Based Feeding Program for over three million learners and ₱3 billion for the Last Mile Schools Program to assist schools in disadvantaged areas. We also want to ensure inclusive and flexible education by providing ₱4.4 billion for the Alternative Learning Systems and ₱41.1 billion for vouchers and subsidies for almost 3.5 million students in public and private schools.

Aside from this, we have allocated ₱27.4 billion for the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education program to help more than 1.3 million students. In addition to the ₱1.5 billion provision for the Student Financial Assistance Programs for 20,680 beneficiaries, CHED will be allocated ₱635 million for the Bagong Pilipinas Merit Scholarship Program, supporting its 10,260 pioneer beneficiaries from lower-middle income households and below, and postgraduate financial assistance.

Through key TESDA programs, such as the Training for Work Scholarship Program (₱4.3 billion); TulongTrabaho Scholarship Program (₱1.7 billion); and the Special Training for Employment Program (₱1.6 billion), the government will upskill and reskill beneficiaries. We have also earmarked ₱506 million to enhance TESDA’s assessment and certification ecosystem.

Further, we allocated ₱15.4 billion for the creation of almost 65,184 new positions, 32,916 for teaching and 32,268 for non-teaching staff, to cater to students’ well-being, as well as ₱10.3 billion to support the increase in teaching allowance from ₱5,000 to ₱10,000.

Meanwhile, under the Program Convergence Budgeting Approach, a method that brings together programs/initiatives across government units to create a unified and cohesive plan, we are introducing the Building Early Growth through Integrated Nurturing (BEGIN) Program, to address stunting and other recommendations in the Second Congressional Commission on Education Year II Report.

These are just some of the programs and initiatives in the education sector under the FY 2026 NEP.

Beyond budget, the PBBM administration is resolute in delivering quality education to nurture future-ready generations. I hope you will join us in achieving this goal. Together, and armed with a child-responsive national budget, I believe we may truly realize the full potential of our nation—a brighter, inclusive, responsive, and sustainable Bagong Pilipinas, where no child is left behind.