A recent study by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealing that 18.9 million Filipinos are considered “functionally illiterate” should be considered a national emergency.

“This is not just a crisis—it's a national emergency,” ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro said.

“When one out of five senior high school graduates cannot comprehend a simple story despite years of schooling, we are looking at a systemic failure that threatens our country's future,” Castro added.

“Ito ay patunay na bumabagsak ang ating sistema ng edukasyon at hindi ito nabibigyan ng sapat na atensyon ng kasalukuyang administrasyon (This is proof that our education system is failing and that the current administration is not giving it enough attention),” she added. 

For former ACT Teachers Representative and current party-list nominee Antonio Tinio, the alarming literacy crisis is a direct result of chronic underfunding of public education.

"For decades, we have been warning about the consequences of neglecting our education system," Tinio said. 

Tinio noted that the government has consistently failed to meet the UN-recommended education budget allocation of six percent of the GDP.

“Ang katotohanan ay simple lang: kung kulang ang pamumuhunan sa edukasyon, kulang ang sahod ng mga guro at education support personnel,  kulang din ang matututunan ng ating mga mag-aaral (The truth is simple: if there is insufficient investment in education, if the salaries of teachers and education support personnel are insufficient, then our students will also learn less),” he added. 

He further emphasized that the literacy crisis disproportionately affects poor communities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.

“The PSA study confirms what we've long known—that provinces with the highest functional illiteracy rates also have the highest poverty incidence,” he noted. 

“This is not coincidental. When children cannot read with comprehension, they are effectively locked out of opportunities for social mobility and economic advancement,” he lamented. 

Both Castro and Tinio called for immediate and decisive action to address the crisis. 

The lawmakers called for the passage of House Bill No. 1783 or the Education as Priority in the National Appropriations (EDNA) Act, which would mandate allocating at least six percent of GDP to education.

"We need to double our current education budget to address classroom shortages, hire more qualified teachers, increase the salaries of teachers and education support personnel, provide quality learning materials, and implement effective literacy interventions," Castro said. 

"The functional literacy crisis is the most concrete manifestation of decades of neglect and misplaced priorities. Instead of confidential funds, and militarization through NTF-ELCAC, we should be investing in our children's ability to read, understand, and think critically,” Tinio said.