President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has resumed attending official engagements following his recent diverticulitis flare-up, starting with the receipt of key education reform documents at Malacañang on Thursday, January 29.
Marcos received the final report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), which detailed the findings of a three-year national assessment on the state of Philippine education.
He was also presented with the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) 2026–2035, a 10-year roadmap aimed at addressing the education crisis and aligning workforce development with national economic goals through the integrated efforts of DepEd, CHED, and TESDA.
In his speech, the President said the reports “reveal where we have fallen short and what we must do to improve our educational system.”
“Throughout these past years, we have focused much of our efforts on addressing learning gaps and the damage caused by the pandemic to our children’s education and the continuing cost that we are paying because of climate change,” he said.
Marcos highlighted reforms under his administration, including revisions to the basic education curriculum to make it “learner-centered, skill-focused, and decongested.”
He also underscored the proposed ₱1.3 trillion allocation for education in the 2026 national budget.
“This works out to the equivalent of 4.36% of the country’s gross domestic product, and that exceeds the global benchmark for education spending for the first time in Philippine history,” he noted.
“Through this budget, we can hire more teachers to reduce their overall workload; implement learning recovery in reading, math and science; expand school-based feeding programs; and construct more classrooms, further improving our educational system,” Marcos added.
Closing his remarks, the President framed the moment as a turning point for education reform.
“Mga kababayan, ito na talaga ang ating ‘Turning Point:’ panahon ng reporma upang masigurong walang Pilipinong maiiwanan sa Bagong Pilipinas,” he said.
“Asahan ninyo na ipagpapatuloy natin ang nasimulan at pagagandahin pa ang sistemang ng edukasyon,” Marcos vowed.