A lawmaker has vowed to fight for the restoration of over P6 billion slashed from the proposed 2027 Department of Education (DepEd) budget.
Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, who chairs the Senate Finance Subcommittee B, expressed serious concern over the steep cuts made in the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) passed by the House of Representatives, emphasizing that education must remain the government’s top priority.
The proposed 2027 education budget under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) was reduced from P916 billion down to P910 billion in the GAB, suffering a reduction of P6.17 billion. Key programs hit by the reductions include classroom construction, the DepEd Computerization Program, teacher development and the national school-based feeding program.
In his opening statement at the budget deliberations for DepEd, he underlined the urgent need to maintain sustained funding to address persistent learning gaps across the country.
“Let me say off the top of this hearing, Secretary Angara, that I’m hoping that we can get back to 4% of GDP for education as a whole… Short po tayo. So with the support of the Chairman, Senator JV, and of course our Senate President, even our Minority Floor Leader, Senator Allan… nais nating makita na mapondohan ng maayos ang edukasyon sa ating bansa. Lagi ko pong sinasabi na ang edukasyon po ay hindi ho dapat napopolitika. Ang edukasyon ay para sa lahat ng Pilipino, para sa lahat ng batang Pilipino,” he explained.
A primary area of concern raised by Aquino is the heavy slash to the School-Based Feeding Program. Despite the passage of the Libreng Pagkain para saBatang Pilipino Act (Expanded National Nutrition Program) expanding coverage up to Grade 3, the feeding budget was slashed from P27 billion down to P11.4 billion.
“For 2026, nabigyan po ng napakalaki na P27 billion para sa feeding program. However, in the NEP and the GAB, this was cut down to P11 billion. Ang laki po ng binawas sa feeding program… And yet, when we passed the law, hindi lang po Kinder at Grade 1 yung nais natin mabigyan ng pagkain—hanggang Grade 3 na. So you can imagine ano po yung laki ng budget na hahabulin po natin,” he said.
Aquino noted that DepEd’s data showed over one million learners were successfully rescued from severe malnutrition due to the full 2026 feeding allocation, demonstrating the tangible impact of well-funded nutrition initiatives on student performance.
The senator also focused on the implementation of the P68-billion Classroom Acceleration Program funded under the 2026 budget to tackle the nationwide backlog of over 140,000 classrooms. He pressed DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for catch-up plans to expedite construction using LGU-led, DPWH-led and Public-Private Partnership (PPP) modalities.
“Yung ating push for more classrooms, our classroom acceleration program. Yung budget po dito nung nakaraang nung ng taong ito ay P68 billion. Nung una ko pong pasok sa Senado, ang backlog po na yan ay 165,000 classrooms. We want to know where we are in terms of that backlog at kung ano na po yung plano para sa paggamit ng P68 billion na ito. Alam ko po nagkaroon ng mga delays sa pagpo-procure at paggawa ng mga classrooms. Nais ho natin malaman ano iyung ating catchup plan from both Dep Ed and DPWH,” he added.
On campus security, Aquino reiterated the urgent passage and funding of the School Safety Act, incorporating mental health assistance, guidance counselor associates and preventive security to protect students from campus violence.
Beyond budget deliberations, Aquino consistently advocates for inclusion and respect across public spaces. Discussing offensive online comments targeting individuals with special needs, Aquino delivered a message on responsibility and standing up for vulnerable sectors.
“Ang totoong macho, protect—pro-protektahan mo yung mga bata, pro-protektahan mo yung mga babae, kung may kapansanan, yun ang totoong macho… Almost all Filipinos have a relative or a friend who is a PWD… So you don’t make fun of that or if you’re gonna go there, be prepared for the consequences,” he said.
Aquino urge senate colleagues to scrutinize “red-flagged” infrastructure and flood control projects to rechannel funds into education, teacher support and school safety to deliver a reform-minded national budget that prioritizes human capital and guarantees every Filipino child a conducive environment to learn.
“Ang pagtugon sa learning crisis ay hindi po natatapos sa loob lamang ng isang taon. Kailangan po natin ng tuloy-tuloy na pagpopondo, malinaw na mga target at mga programang may kongkretong resulta. At sa gitna ng lahat ng mga prioridad na yan, nais natin tiyakin na nauuna ang pangangailangan ng ating mga mag-aaral. Bago ang mga proyektong maaaring ipagpaliban, dapat unahin natin ang mga silid aralan, kaligtasan sa paaralan at mga programang direktang nakakatulong sa pagkatuto ng mga bata,” he concluded.
