The House Committee on Basic Education and Culture on Monday approved three priority reform measures, marking a significant step toward addressing the country’s deepening education crisis.
Together, the measures confront three interconnected challenges: the severe classroom backlog, declining learning outcomes and structural weaknesses in the Senior High School system.
Foremost among the approved bills is the proposed Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act (House Bill 5577), which institutionalizes a mechanism allowing local government units (LGUs) and private sector entities to construct classrooms in coordination with the Department of Education (DepEd).
According to the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II), the Philippines faces a backlog of over 165,000 classrooms — a shortage that has resulted in large class sizes, double or triple shifts and compromised learning conditions.
By authorizing LGUs and private partners to access national funding and technical assistance, the CAP seeks to expand government delivery capacity and accelerate the construction of safe and adequate learning spaces.
The committee, chaired by Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, also passed the proposed Education Pathways Act (HB 4248), which restructures post-Junior High School education into two clearly defined tracks: a University Preparatory Pathway under DepEd and a Technical-Vocational Pathway under the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
Complementing these structural reforms is the proposed Emergency Classroom Building Act (HB 5103), which grants the President temporary emergency powers to expedite the construction, rehabilitation and repair of classrooms nationwide.
The three measures were principally authored by Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, together with Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez, Andrew Julian Romualdez and Jude Acidre.
In a statement, Acidre said the committee approval signals that reforms must now move beyond recognition of the problem toward sustained implementation.
“We cannot expect better learning outcomes from a system that lacks the basic conditions for learning. Infrastructure, curriculum, and governance must move in coordination,” Acidre said.
“The era of diagnosing the problem is over. The next phase is disciplined implementation: classrooms delivered, pathways clarified, and results sustained,” he added.
He said the measures now move closer to plenary consideration as part of the House’s broader push to strengthen the foundations of the country’s basic education system. (PNA)