BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

Guided by the instruction of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) committed to continue collaborating to address the gaps in the Philippine education system.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara expressed his gratitude to Congress and EDCOM II for their continued support of DepEd and emphasized the importance of aligning efforts with the President’s directive as the legislative body unveiled its findings for Year Two.

“It’s a wonderful occasion—the release of the EDCOM Year 2 Report. We thank the Senate, under Senate President Chiz Escudero, for passing laws recommended by EDCOM II,” Secretary Angara said.

Secretary Angara, a former EDCOM II Commissioner, was referring to the 37 priority bills in the legislative process, with five already enacted into law, including the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Law (Republic Act No. 12028) and the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act (Republic Act No. 12080).

At DepEd, Secretary Angara has led reforms aligned with the directive of President Marcos Jr. and EDCOM II’s recommendations.

He implemented Early Procurement Activities (EPA) for major but slow-moving procurement items such as textbooks, laptops, and other learning resources. The Department is also updating its policy on the procurement and quality assurance of textbooks and teacher manuals.

Additionally, the agency is prioritizing the revision of the Senior High School curriculum, reducing the number of subjects while ensuring they are more impactful, with a stronger focus on critical skills and knowledge areas.

To address classroom shortages, DepEd is accelerating the construction of 105,000 classrooms, beginning with a 15,000-classroom package currently being processed this year through Public-Private Partnership (PPP).

“Certainly, I was once part of you. The work of EDCOM is very much welcome and appreciated,” Secretary Angara noted.

The Year 2 report, titled Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival, provides insights and lessons on the priorities of the Philippine basic education system.

“We worked in lockstep with our former colleagues, Secretary Sonny Angara and Secretary Kiko Benitez, who have since taken our collective call for change to the executive branch. This year, no less than the President has also expressed his full support, personally acting on measures to ensure coordination among education agencies and emphasizing the need for greater focus on the first 1,000 days,” EDCOM II wrote in its preface.

*All Photo from DepEd