Senator Bam Aquino remains steadfast in his commitment to the education sector as he formally pledged his full support to the new Basic Education Chairperson, Sen. Loren Legarda, and has committed to serve as Vice Chairman to ensure that the momentum of vital reforms including the 10-Year National Education Plan remains unbroken.
Aquino is leaving behind a legacy of historic legislative wins of Education Committee and challenged his colleagues to move past the political noise and get back to work for the Filipino people.
In his ten-month tenure, Aquino proved that the education crisis could be tackled through unity and decisive action.
Under his leadership, the Senate secured a historic P1.34-trillion education budget for 2026, the largest ever allocated for the sector. This funding is designed to translate directly into tangible results including P67 billion for the construction of thousands of classrooms to combat the long-standing backlog. The budget also expanded the National Feeding Programs to ensure no student enters the classroom hungry and Increased Tertiary Support providing billions in aid for millions of college students.
“Sinulit po natin ang bawat araw na binigay niyo sa amin upang maipasa ang mga kailangang repormang tutugon saating education crisis. Kahit hindi na tayo chairman ng Committee on Education, tuloy pa rin ang trabaho, at tuloy pa rin ang pag-alaga sa kinabukasan ng ating susunod na henerasyon. Dahil ang laban po para sa edukasyon, hindi dapat tumigil dahil lang sa pulitika,” he said.
The senator expressed optimism about the transition, noting Legarda’s long-standing dedication to educational advocacy.
“She’s been working in the education space for a long time. And she asked me to be vice chairman. And sabi ko naman, our office will turn over all the research, all the studies, all the bills that we’ve prepared, and I hope that she will continue to do that. I hope that she will also fight for the budget in the same way we fought for the budget last year. Sana, in 2026, ito pa rin ang pinakamataas na budget sa kasaysayan ng Pilipinas para sa edukasyon,” he said.
Aquino said the Senate should focus on tackling proposals to remove the value-added tax (VAT) on fuel and reduce VAT from 12 percent to 10 percent as ways to lower prices of goods and petroleum products.
To address the said crises, Aquino filed Senate Bill (SB) Number 2047 seeking to lower VAT on goods and services, including petroleum products, saying the move could provide medium and long-term solutions to shield the middle class from the impacts of the Middle East crisis and other future crises.
The senator also submitted SB No. 265 calling for the abolition of excise taxes imposed on diesel, kerosene, LPG, fuel, oil,and unleaded gasoline under the TRAIN Law.
“Habang nagkakagulo sa pulitika yung taumbayan.. mataas pa rin yung presyong gasolina, mataas pa rin yung presyong pagkain, mataas pa rin yung presyong lahat ng bagay, yung wages hindi pa rin tumataas. Our economy has basically gone down, inflation has gone up. And lahat yan nangyayari sa buhay ng tao, habang nakikita nila, nagkakagulo yungmga leaders nila,” he stressed.
Aquino recorded 12 bills filed, 9 bills sponsored and co-sponsored, 22 bills authored and co-authored, as well as 14 meetings and hearings as Co-Chairperson of EDCOM2.
Beyond the education sector, Aquino issued a sobering reminder to the Senate regarding the current state of the nation. He urged his colleagues to look past internal conflicts and address the economic hardships facing ordinary Filipinos.
“Ang baba ng tingin ngayon ng mga tao sa mga institutions nila. And, you know, for the Senate, the only way to get back or to get back that trust, unang-una, is really, firstly, to do our jobs… So the work has to continue,” he concluded.
