Speaker Faustino “Bojie” Dy III on Monday said the House of Representatives will use the Final Report of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) as a guiding framework for crafting laws and policies to address long-standing problems in the country’s education sector and improve learning outcomes nationwide.
Speaking at the turnover of the EDCOM II Final Report at the House, Dy said the document represents a clear government reckoning with the state of Philippine education and a call for sustained action.
“Ang ulat na inilulunsad natin ngayon ay hindi simpleng pagtatapos ng isang komisyon. Ito ay isang paninindigan ng pamahalaan – isang tapat, malinaw at walang-palusot na pagharap sa tunay na kalagayan ng edukasyon sa bansa (The report we just launched today is not just a simple completion of a commission. This is the resolve of the government – an honest, clear and a no excuse handling of the country’s state of education),” Dy said.
EDCOM II was convened to conduct a system-wide review of education amid persistent learning gaps, weak literacy outcomes and concerns that reforms have not translated into real gains for learners.
The commission’s final report lays out a long-term roadmap focused on strengthening foundational learning, teaching quality and education-to-employment pathways.
Dy said the findings of the commission confirm problems that have long been evident in the sector.
“Ipinapakita ng Final Report ng EDCOM II na ang krisis sa edukasyon ay hindi bago. Matagal na nating kinakaharap ang mababang literacy rate, mahinang pundasyon sa mga unang taon, at kulturang inuuna ang proseso kaysa tunay na pagkatuto (The final report of EDCOM II shows that the education crisis is nothing new. We have long faced the problem of low literacy rate, weak foundation in the early years, and the culture of putting a premium on processes instead of real learning),” the Speaker said.
“Ang kaibahan ngayon, malinaw na inilalatag ng ulat ang landas kung paano ito tutugunan (The difference now is that the report lays down the path to addressing the problems).”
The responsibility, he said, now rests with lawmakers to ensure the recommendations are implemented.
“It is not enough to study and understand the problems before us — what is more critical is that we act on the recommendations of the EDCOM II,” he stressed.
Dy said the House will consider the EDCOM II report a guide for education-related legislation, oversight of implementing agencies and scrutiny of education spending.
He also stressed that Congress should ultimately be judged not by the number of laws it passes but by their impact on learners.
“Sa huli, ang sukatan ng ating tagumpay ay hindi sa dami ng batas na ating ipinasa, kundi kung ilang batang Pilipino ang binigyan natin ng tunay na pag-asa at pagkakataon upang maiangat ang buhay nila at ang buhay ng kanilang pamilya (The measure of our success is not by the number of laws we passed, but on how many Filipino youth did we give real hope and opportunity to uplift their lives and that of their families),” he said.
The Marcos administration has placed education at the center of national spending priorities.
Under the 2026 national budget, the education sector was allotted PHP1.34 trillion, equivalent to more than 4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product. (PNA)