CARTOON BY: AARON PAUL C. CARIL
EDITORIAL
Budgeting Away the Future
The Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCom II) has sounded the alarm: the Philippine education system is in crisis. Its Year Two Report, released on January 28, 2025, reveals deep-rooted deficiencies in learning outcomes, teacher support, and institutional capacity. These findings should have galvanized urgent reform and robust investment. Instead, the 2025 national budget suffered substantial cuts for the Department of Education and state universities and colleges—an act that defies both logic and constitutional mandate.
These reductions are not just numbers on a spreadsheet—they are a direct assault on the nation’s long-term development. When classrooms remain overcrowded, teachers are underpaid, and learning materials are scarce, slashing funds is not a solution; it’s a surrender.
While education suffered, flood control and infrastructure projects received massive allocations in the 2025 budget. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was granted ₱1.007 trillion, with ₱257 billion earmarked specifically for flood control programs. Yet many of these projects were later flagged for inefficiency, corruption, and lack of implementation-readiness. President Marcos even vetoed ₱16.7 billion worth of flood control items due to questionable insertions. The contrast is stark: while classrooms go underfunded, drainage systems and ghost projects drain public coffers.
The proposed 2026 national budget stands at ₱6.793 trillion, the largest in Philippine history. Encouragingly, it is being framed as an “education budget,” with Senate Finance Chair Sherwin Gatchalian pledging to raise education spending to at least 4% of GDP, up from the current 3.8–3.9%. This marks a potential reversal of the 2025 trend, where education received ₱1.055 trillion, despite being the largest sectoral allocation. If realized, the 2026 budget could restore constitutional fidelity and signal a renewed commitment to human capital development.
The government’s decision to slash the education budget in the 2025 national budget is more than a fiscal adjustment—it’s a forfeiture of our nation’s future. Every peso withheld from classrooms, libraries, and teacher training is a step away from progress and a step toward systemic decline. If we continue to treat education as expendable, we are not just balancing books—we are budgeting away the very future we claim to protect. Will the 2026 national budget correct this course, or will it deepen the crisis? This is the accountability we should demand from those who wield the power of the purse. The choice is urgent, and the consequences enduring.