Senator Loren Legarda welcomed the signing of Republic Act No. 12321, or the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDA) Schools Act which now gives children in remote communities have equitable access to quality education. 

Signed last July 23, 2026, the GIDA Schools Act will help establish national school accessibility standards to ensure that students have access to basic education schools within a walkable distance of three (3) kilometers from their place of residence or, where this is not feasible, through safe and accessible transportation. 

The law requires the Department of Education (DepEd) to develop a National GIDA Schools Map that will guide government investments where they are needed most instead of leaving remote communities invisible in national planning. 

“This law is for the children who walk through mud everyday, cross rivers and dilapidated bridges, climb mountains, and attend schools without electricity and clean water to learn,” Legarda said.

"It is also for the teachers who travel the same hardships to teach and for the parents who, despite the hardships, do not give up in the belief that education is the most important legacy they can pass on to their children,” she said. 

Recognizing that quality education cannot succeed without basic services, the law mandates coordinated action among government agences to provide roads, electricity, internet connectivity, environmental safeguards, and support for indigenous communities. 

It also promotes disaster-resilient and culturally appropriate school facilities, incuding the use of sustainable construction materials where appropriate. 

The measure also provides stronger institutional support for teachers assigned to last-mile schools through hardship and hazard allowances, housing assistance, professional development opportunities, and localized recruitment to encourage educators to remain in underserved communities. 

“Many teachers serve not only as educators, but also as caregiveres, mentors and second parents in communities that have long been underserved. It’s not enough for us to call them heroes,” she said.

“The government must ensure that they have adequate support to continue their mission,” she added.

Likewise, the law institutionalizes culturally responsive education by integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Practices into learning in ancestral domains, while engaging community elders as Indigenous Knowledge Educators. 

The law also strengthens the role of Local School Boards in identifying priority GIDA Schools and monitoring investments, with annual reporting to Congress to ensure transparency and accountability. 

The enactment of the law comes as the country continues to grapple with a nationwide education crisis. 

According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), learners in last-mile schools consistently perform among the lowest in the country. In the Grade 10 and Grade 12 National Achievement Tests (NAT), nearly 82 percent of learners in GIDA schools failed to meet minimum proficiency standards, underscoring how geography continues to shape educational outcomes.