Finance Senior Vice Chairperson Senator Pia S. Cayetano pressed for urgent action to close the country’s classroom gap during the hearing on the proposed 2026 budget of the Department of Education. She cited the P400 billion needed to build enough classrooms, emphasizing the importance of efficient budget use, stronger DepEd–DPWH coordination, and LGU support for minor repairs to make more facilities usable.
She also highlighted the need to support school sports clubs, align higher education programs to produce needed professionals, embed digital wellness and mental health in lessons, and sustain feeding and reading initiatives. Cayetano stressed the importance of preparing students with the 4 Cs: critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity. Finally, she urged her fellow Senators to safeguard education funds at every stage of the budget process.
Leave a Reply