IN A HISTORIC pivot from “steel and cement” to human capital, the Senate has approved an unprecedented P1.038 trillion allocation for the education sector — funding that Senator Paolo Benigno ‘Bam’ Aquino IV says was salvaged from corruption-tainted flood control projects.
Labeling the allocation the “highest ever” education budget in the nation’s history, Aquino championed the move as a moral victory that prioritizes Filipino students over questionable public works.
“This is the budget with the highest funding for education in our history — P1.038 trillion. We have P65 billion for 30,000 classrooms, P27 billion for our school feeding program, and of course, free college for 5.7 million Filipino students,” Aquino said.
Closing the Gap
The Senate aggressively increased funding for infrastructure, raising the classroom construction budget from the proposed P13.2 billion to a staggering P65.9 billion — a P52.7 billion jump.
This funding targets the country’s estimated 165,000-classroom backlog, utilizing the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act.
The law, authored by Aquino, allows the Department of Education to partner with local governments and civil society to fast-track construction.
Fighting Hunger
To combat malnutrition, the budget for the School-Based Feeding Program (SBFP) was more than doubled, jumping from P11.7 billion to P28.6 billion.
The P16.9-billion increase will expand the program from 120 feeding days to a full 200 school days for all Kindergarten and Grade 1 students, as well as “wasted and severely wasted” learners up to Grade 6.
Free College & Student Aid
The budget also fully funds the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, ensuring 5.7 million students can attend 113 State Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and Local Universities and Colleges (LUCs) tuition-free.
Beyond tuition, Aquino highlighted additional support funds, including allowances for student nurses paying for Related Learning Experience (RLE) fees and stipends for students at risk of dropping out.
The Final Hurdle
Despite the Senate approval, Aquino warned the public to remain vigilant as the budget heads to the Bicameral Conference Committee (Bicam), where valid realignments are often challenged or reversed.
“We need to watch this. The fight is not over,” Aquino said. “We must ensure that what comes out of the Bicam and gets signed by the President is a budget that truly values the Filipino youth.”
He said with a rallying cry for the final leg of the legislative process: “Let’s watch over what the youth are asking for — Education, not Corruption.”
