MANILA — Senator Bam Aquino stressed that politics should take a backseat as Filipinos continue to grapple with pressing issues such as the education crisis, employment, and corruption.

When asked about reports that he is being eyed as a candidate for the 2028 presidential elections, Aquino said it is embarrassing to focus on politics while the Filipino people continue to face serious challenges.

“Nakakahiyang mamulitika habang napakaraming pinagdadaanan ng taumbayan,” Aquino said.

“Iyong bansa natin, pagdating sa edukasyon, pagdating sa ekonomiya, presyo ng bilihin, sa pagtugis sa korapsyon, napakaraming hinaharap. Iyan dapat iyong inuuna natin, hindi dapat ang pamumulitika,” he added.

Aquino emphasized that discussions about the 2028 elections have their proper time but underscored that leaders must prioritize urgent national concerns over premature political speculation.

“Iyong 2028, dadating rin iyan. At may tamang panahon na pag-usapan iyan. Pero ngayon, ang tamang gawin, pag-usapan iyong mga mahalaga sa taumbayan,” he pointed out.

As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Aquino said he remains focused on pushing forward priority legislative measures that will directly benefit Filipinos, especially the youth and students.

Several of his proposed bills have been included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority agenda.

Among these are the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, the Citizen Access and Disclosure of Expenditures for National Accountability (CADENA) Act, the Party-list System Reform Act, proposed amendments to the Masustansyang Pagkain Para sa Batang Pilipino Act, the proposed abolition of the travel tax, and amendments to the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (GASTPE) Act.

The Senate recently approved the CAP Act (Senate Bill No. 1482) and the CADENA Act, also known as the Blockchain the Budget Bill (Senate Bill No. 1506), on third and final reading with votes of 22-0 and 17-0, respectively.

To help address the reported 166,000-classroom shortage, the CAP Act allows local government units (LGUs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a proven track record to build classrooms within their jurisdictions, subject to compliance with the Department of Education’s standards and guidelines.

Meanwhile, the CADENA Act mandates all government agencies to upload and maintain detailed budget-related documents—including contracts, project costs, bills of materials, and procurement records—on a Digital Budget Platform.

The system is designed to ensure that all files are publicly accessible, tamper-resistant, traceable, open-source, and verifiable.

Government officials who fail to disclose required documents or who upload fraudulent information face administrative and criminal penalties, strengthening accountability and transparency in public spending.