President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Thursday admitted that the nation’s education sector suffered from neglect in previous years, prompting his administration to pledge heavier state investments and broader financial aid for Filipino students.
During an address to beneficiaries of the Presidential Scholars Program in Obando, Bulacan, Marcos declared that revamping the educational system stands at the forefront of his governance agenda, insisting that quality learning must be viewed as a fundamental right rather than a privilege.
“Naiwanan lang tayo nang kaunti dahil sa nakaraang ilang taon, hindi masyadong nabibigyan ng atensyon ang ating education sector,” the President said.
We were left behind a little because in the past few years, our education sector was not given much attention.
The Chief Executive’s statements arrive on the heels of persistent crises plaguing Philippine education, such as severe learning gaps post-pandemic, massive classroom deficits, dismal international test rankings, and recent controversies tied to the Department of Education.
Without singling out any previous officials, Marcos guaranteed that the government is actively troubleshooting these hurdles to provide comprehensive student aid and better academic instruction.
“Para sa pamahalaan, ang edukasyon ay hindi pribilehiyo. Ito’y karapatan ng bawat kabataan,” he added.
For the government, education is not a privilege. It is a right of every youth.
As part of the administration’s “Bawat Bayan Makikinabang” program, Marcos personally met with 55 student beneficiaries from Obando who were granted ₱20,000 each in educational subsidies sourced from the Socio-Civic Projects Fund.
The broader framework of the initiative allocates ₱200,000 to every barangay, with 50 percent explicitly locked for scholarship funds. Local leaders are ordered to prioritize students on the verge of dropping out due to economic constraints, especially those close to completing their degrees.
Marcos projected that the target could scale up significantly to protect more than 200,000 students across all 42,000 barangays nationwide.
“Kada barangay, makakakuha tayo ng lima, more than 200,000 ang natutulungan natin,” he explained.
Per barangay, if we can get five, we will be helping more than 200,000.
Imparting words of advice to the beneficiaries, the President urged them to maximize the financial aid, calling education an indestructible asset that will serve as their tool to uplift their families and direct the future of the country.
“Ang edukasyon ay kayamanan. Hindi maaagaw, hindi mananakaw, hindi mawawala. Habang buhay ninyong magagamit para mapaganda ang buhay ninyo, ng inyong pamilya at ng inyong komunidad,” Marcos noted. “Darating ang araw, kayo naman ang magiging liderato ng Pilipinas.”
Education is wealth. It cannot be taken away, it cannot be stolen, it will not be lost. You can use it for the rest of your lives to improve your life, your family’s, and your community’s… The day will come when you will be the leadership of the Philippines.
The scholarship distribution in Bulacan coincided with a parallel government relief operation, where roughly 2,000 Obando residents were sent home with 10-kilo sacks of rice under the administration’s national food security campaign.