Senator Win Gatchalian marked Araw ng Pagbasa by calling for over ₱21 billion in additional funding to strengthen the government’s learning recovery efforts amid persistently low reading scores among Filipino learners.
As chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, Gatchalian proposed an extra ₱3.3 billion for the Department of Education’s ARAL Program, the flagship initiative intended to accelerate learning recovery and raise reading proficiency nationwide. He also said the Senate is moving to add ₱18.08 billion to DepEd’s textbook budget, increasing its total allocation to ₱29 billion for 2026.
“Sisiguruhin ng mga pondong ito na hindi na kukulangin sa aklat ang ating mga mag-aaral,” Gatchalian said.
He emphasized that sustained government action is essential to ensure that every learner becomes a confident reader.
“Ako ay nakikiisa sa ating mga kababayan sa pagdiriwang ng Araw ng Pagbasa. Patuloy din akong nakikiisa sa ating mga pagsisikap na tiyaking ang bawat mag-aaral ay matututong bumasa at umunawa,” he said.
Gatchalian has repeatedly pushed for the full implementation of ARAL, citing the Philippines’ low rankings in the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment, where the country placed near the bottom in reading, math, and science among 81 participating nations.