MANILA — The House of Representatives has passed on second reading House Bill No. 6429, which seeks to extend the term of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) from 2025 to the end of 2027.

EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson and House Committee on Basic Education Chair Rep. Roman Romulo, sponsor of the bill, highlighted the Commission’s accomplishments since its establishment in 2023.

“In the three years since its establishment, EDCOM 2 has delivered on its mandate with depth, rigor, and urgency. The Commission has carried out extensive research, field assessments, and nationwide consultations involving learners, teachers, parents, government agencies, local government units, private sector partners, and policymakers,” Romulo said.

He added that the Commission has gone beyond identifying problems, providing “concrete, actionable, and evidence-based solutions” that have already influenced policy reform, legislation, and executive actions.

“The Commission has become an indispensable convenor in the education sector, bringing stakeholders together, building trust, strengthening convergence, and enabling the kind of whole-of-nation cooperation required to pursue meaningful, lasting reform,” Romulo said.

Romulo’s co-chair in the House, Rep. Jude Acidre, stressed the need to sustain reforms. “EDCOM II has begun to map out the reforms we need. But colleagues, we know this: reforms alone are not enough. What truly matters is whether we can sustain them. Whether these reforms are backed by the right policies, the right structures, and most of all, the right investments,” Acidre said.

Acidre added that the Commission’s extension is intended “not to prolong the work, but to protect the work. Not to delay action, but to ensure that every recommendation made by EDCOM II can be carried forward with clarity and intention.”

The extension follows the third reading approval of a counterpart Senate bill on December 3. Senate Bill 1483, sponsored by EDCOM 2 Co-Chair Sen. Loren Legarda, was the first measure to pass third reading in the 20th Congress.

EDCOM 2 is scheduled to submit its third and final report in January 2026.