Majority congressmen hailed the historic P1.35-trillion budget for the education sector, which became a reality following President Marcos' signing of the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA).

Lanao del Sur 1st district Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre was fully aware of the impact on education of such a huge allocation--nearly 20 percent of the P6.793-trillion national budget this year.

"I extend my heartfelt congratulations to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Speaker Faustino 'Bojie' Dy III, and Majority Leader Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, and House Appropriations Chair Mikaela Angela Suansing, and our colleagues in the 20th Congress on the signing into law of the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026," Adiong said in a statement Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Adiong said the education sector budget--equivalent to 4.4 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP)--was "a clear, deliberate, and long overdue declaration that the future of the nation will be built in our classrooms".

"This unprecedented investment finally matches the scale of our education crisis with the scale of our national ambition. It enables the Department of Education (DepEd) and its attached agencies to roll out the most comprehensive learner- and teacher-centered interventions in recent memory," noted the assistant majority leader.

He said the allocation confronts head-on the 165,000-classroom backlog through P85.3 billion, including P65 billion for nearly 25,000 new classrooms and P7.7 billion for repairs and rehabilitation.

Adiong says it restores the fundamentals of learning with P19.5 billion for textbooks and instructional materials, modernizes education delivery through P10.6 billion for the DepEd Computerization Program, and strengthens teaching quality with P4.6 billion for continuous professional training.

"It also makes a decisive investment in people by funding tens of thousands of new teaching, school leadership, guidance, and administrative positions. At the same time, the P25.6 billion allocation for the expanded school-based feeding program recognizes a simple truth: no child can learn on an empty stomach, with 4.6 million learners set to benefit nationwide," he noted.

"As a commissioner of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EdCom II), we have seen with clarity and urgency how deep and structural the challenges in Philippine education truly are. The findings of EdCom II made it impossible to pretend that incremental fixes would suffice," Adiong said.

He further said: "This historic budget is a direct response to those realities. It is timely, it is necessary, and it is transformative if implemented with discipline and integrity."

Acidre, chairman of the House Committee on Technical and Higher, was similarly enthusiastic over the possibilities.

"I warmly thank the Congress of the Philippines and His Excellency the President for approving the highest-ever budgetary allocation for education in the 2026 national budget. This historic investment affirms, in the clearest terms, that education remains at the very heart of our nation’s development agenda," he said in a separate statement Tuesday. 

"With more than P1 trillion allocated to the education sector, the Philippines sends a strong and decisive message: that the future of our people is built in classrooms, training centers, laboratories, and learning communities across the country. This is not merely a budgetary milestone. It is a statement of national priority and collective resolve," noted Acidre.

"This is a victory for students, teachers, parents, and for the future of the country. Education has been given the priority it deserves—and with it, renewed hope for a more inclusive, skilled, and resilient Philippines," he further said.

Acidre says the development gives momentum to ongoing efforts to expand scholarships, improve state universities and colleges, strengthen Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) pathways, and align education outcomes with national and regional development goals.

The two ranking solons also strengthened the House leadership's commitment to carrying our proper oversight on the 2026 outlay--the biggest in the country’s history.

"We will therefore do our part to ensure that every peso is deployed expeditiously, efficiently, and effectively, and that this investment translates into real classrooms, real learning, real nourishment, and real opportunities for every Filipino child. This is how a nation secures its future," Adiong said.

"We will continue to exercise vigilant oversight to make sure that this historic funding is spent wisely, transparently, and effectively. More importantly, we will work to ensure that this investment results in better learning outcomes, stronger institutions, and greater opportunities for every Filipino learner," Acidre said, for his part.