MANILA – Senator Bam Aquino released a progress report on his 10-month tenure as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, highlighting measures and programs aimed at addressing the country’s education crisis.

Aquino, who lost the committee chairmanship after the recent Senate leadership change that transferred him to the minority bloc, said his office maximized its time to pursue reforms in the education sector.

“Sa loob ng 10 buwan, ginawa po natin ang ating mandato, tinupad ang mga pangako, at nagtrabaho para sa inyo. Sinulit po natin ang bawat araw na binigay sa akin upang maipasa ang mga kailangang repormang tumutugon sa ating education crisis,” Aquino said in a Facebook video.

At the start of his term as committee chairperson, Aquino introduced a seven-point agenda focused on improving the quality of education in the country. The agenda covered concerns such as nutrition, classroom shortages, textbooks, internet connectivity, teacher support, learning gaps, and employability.

During his leadership, Aquino said the framework for the 10-year National Education and Workforce Development Plan (NatPlan) 2026–2035 was established to help resolve long-standing issues in the education system.

Among the concerns cited in the report were the learning gaps reflected in the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment, which showed that 48.76 percent of learners in the school year 2024-2025 were not reading at grade level by Grade 3. The assessment also indicated that proficiency rates declined from 30.5 percent in Grade 3 to 0.40 percent by Grade 12.

The NatPlan also seeks to address the country’s classroom shortage of 166,000 units and the problem of stunting among young learners, which affects 23.6 percent of children.

Aquino also cited the approval of the P1.34-trillion education allocation under the 2026 national budget, which he described as the largest education budget in Philippine history.

The budget includes P67.9 billion for the construction of 25,000 classrooms to help reduce the classroom backlog, P37 billion for the implementation of the Free College Law or Republic Act 10931, and additional funding for the Tertiary Education Subsidy for underprivileged students.

Also included in the 2026 education budget is P25.7 billion for the expanded School-Based Feeding Program.

“Ipinakita po natin na kapag sineryoso, may sense of urgency, at kapag sinasantabi ang mga away pulitika, masosolusyonan ang krisis sa education,” Aquino said.

Despite the accomplishments, Aquino said more reforms still need to be pursued, including measures related to K to 12 reforms, school-to-employment programs, and the proposed School Safety Act.

“Ang pangako ko po, 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 para sa edukasyon hindi natatapos sa isang posisyon lang,” he added.

In a separate Facebook post, Aquino said the proposed Establishing Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas and Last Mile Schools Act and the Curriculum Flexibility Act, both of which he sponsored, are now awaiting the President’s signature.

He also led the passage on third and final reading of the Class-Building Acceleration Program Act and the Basic Education Voucher Program Act and was set to sponsor the National Nutrition Program Act.

Aquino said he filed 12 education-related bills, authored and co-authored 22 measures, and sponsored and co-sponsored nine bills during his stint as committee chairperson and EDCOM II co-chairperson.