Senator Bam Aquino on Tuesday, January 13, urged the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to ensure the full and proper use of the ₱1.34-trillion education fund under the 2026 national budget.
Aquino, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, highlighted that this year’s allocation is the highest in history and must directly benefit Filipino students.
“We are happy that nothing was cut from the education budget. This is the highest education budget in our history. Nothing was cut from it, we fought for it and now the budget is finished,” Aquino said.
“Now, the ball is in the hands of the education agencies. They need to do the right thing, set the right price, make sure that there is no corruption in the huge amount of money we have given to education,” he added, stressing that agencies are “responsible to the Filipino people and to the Filipino students.”
Aquino assured strict oversight, saying: “The Committee on Basic Education will monitor the proper use of money. There will be no ghost projects, no ghost students. We will ensure that money is used for the education of the people at the right price, in the right way.”
The ₱1.34-trillion fund includes ₱67 billion for the Free College Law, ₱68 billion for classroom construction, and ₱25.6 billion for the School-Based Feeding Program. It also covers ₱500 million for financial support in allied health sciences programs under the Higher Education Development Program.
Aquino appealed for public vigilance: “Let us all be vigilant in ensuring that this fund goes directly to education, and not to corruption.”