MANILA — Senator Bam Aquino welcomed the P1.38-trillion allocation for education in 2026, calling it the largest in Philippine history and a “true education budget” capable of addressing the country’s classroom backlog and boosting student nutrition.

“Let me say that the work that the committee has put in the budget is really exemplary. Sa totoo lang po, matatawag talagang education budget itong budget natin,” Aquino said during plenary deliberations on the Department of Education (DepEd) budget.

The budget represents 4 to 6 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), meeting the United Nations’ recommended spending range for education.

Aquino said the Senate version of the 2026 national budget added P70 billion for classroom construction, increasing funding from P13.2 billion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to P65.9 billion, a P52.7-billion jump.

For student nutrition, the school-based feeding program budget was raised from P11.7 billion to P28.6 billion, an increase of P16.9 billion. Aquino noted that the funding will expand feeding days from 120 to 200 for Kindergarten and Grade 1 students, benefiting around 3.5 million learners. Grades 2 to 6 will receive targeted feeding for wasted and severely wasted students.

The senator said the increased classroom funding addresses the 165,000-classroom backlog, which could grow to more than 200,000 within three years if unaddressed. He cited condemned classrooms due to age, earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural calamities, as well as rising student enrollment, as key factors in the backlog.

“I’m happy that for this year, we’re starting out with P65.9 billion. If in the next few years ganito kalaki at mas malaki pa iyong popondohan natin, kaya natin itong ma-address. And we put six years as a target,” Aquino said.

The budget will be implemented through multiple modalities, including the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which allows DepEd to partner with local governments, civil society organizations, and pursue Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). Aquino urged DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara to set a price cap for classroom construction, noting that classrooms costing less than P2 million can increase output from 23,000 to 32,000 units.

Aquino described the 2026 budget as a “fresh start” for the education system. “Basta pinagtutulungan natin para sa ating kabataan, I’m sure maaabot po natin iyong pangarap natin para sa kanila,” he said.