Prominent business and civil society groups welcomed the proposed record-high ₱1.38 trillion allocation to the education sector, while urging lawmakers to include long-term reforms to ensure its proper implementation.

In a joint statement, Makati Business Club (MBC), Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA), and Association of Foundations (AF) lauded Congress’ efforts to ramp up the country’s education spending.

The groups said the ₱1.38-trillion budget, which represents 4.5 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP), moves the sector closer to global benchmarks.

“This level of investment demonstrates a clear recognition that sustained human capital development are central to the country's long-term competitiveness,” the statement read.

“It is also an opportunity to address persistent learning gaps, strengthen teacher quality, and improve school facilities,” it added.

The groups, however, noted that a budget increase alone will not translate into higher literacy rates, improved teacher effectiveness, or better alignment between education and labor market needs.

Solving these persistent challenges requires disciplined implementation, they said.

“The increased funding must be tied to a long-term reform agenda with clear policy targets, measurable indicators, and strong monitoring and evaluation systems,” the statement read.

They noted that education spending must be anchored on evidence-based reforms, with performance rigorously tracked and made public.

To this extent, the groups urged lawmakers to ensure that the ₱1.38-trillion education budget undergoes a transparent and accountable process to ensure that every peso delivers maximum value for learners.

In particular, they call for greater transparency in the bicameral conference committee, where final budget allocations are decided and controversial insertions are often linked to.

“Decisions at this stage greatly affect education priorities, so public scrutiny is essential to ensure resources go to programs that most improve learning outcomes,” the groups said.

“Ensuring transparency must be coupled with stronger accountability measures and appropriate corrective action for parties proven to have mismanaged education funds. This is essential to safeguard public resources and uphold the integrity of the education reform agenda,” they added.

The five groups expressed confidence in the leadership of Education Secretary Sonny Angara to ensure that the additional funding is allocated to high-priority areas such as teacher professional development, learning remediation, and system governance.

They lauded Angara for his policies that aim to pursue key reforms essential to ensuring that education investments yield meaningful results.

“Investing in our people remains foundational to economic and social development,” the statement read.

“Sustained, well-governed investment in education is not just a social imperative; it is an economic strategy that will define the Philippines' trajectory for decades,” it stressed.