The Philippines is set to make history in its education sector for the year 2026, with the national budget for education soaring to an unprecedented P1.38 trillion. This landmark allocation, which represents 4.5 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP), has met for the first time the international funding benchmark recommended by the United Nations.
Aquino's Call: Prioritizing Teachers in Historic Budget
While celebrating this milestone, Senator Bam Aquino, the chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, is pushing for urgent measures to ensure that the nation's educators directly benefit from the record funds. Aquino is renewing his strong advocacy for the immediate passage of the Angat Sweldo Para sa Guro Act.
This proposed legislation seeks to grant a substantial P10,000 monthly salary increase to all public school teachers and qualified non-teaching personnel. The increase is designed to be implemented in stages over a period of three years to ensure sustainability.
Beyond Infrastructure: Addressing the Teacher Crisis
Senator Aquino pointed out that while the massive budget includes critical allocations like P68 billion for classroom construction, P67 billion for free college education, and P25.6 billion for school feeding programs, these investments alone are insufficient.
He stressed that the core of the education system—the teachers—remains in a crisis of being "overworked, underpaid, and lacking adequate support." Aquino cited alarming data, noting that two out of three teachers report spending significant time on more than 50 non-teaching administrative tasks, diverting their focus from actual instruction.
The senator also raised a red flag regarding P43.24 billion originally earmarked for salary upgrades, which was placed under unprogrammed appropriations. This means the funds are conditional and will only be released if the government collects excess revenue. Aquino warned that this move dangerously treats essential teacher compensation as an optional expense, undermining the very purpose of the historic education budget.
A Seven-Point Agenda for Educational Reform
The proposed P10,000 salary hike is the flagship component of Senator Aquino's comprehensive seven-point education agenda. His broader plan aims for a holistic upliftment of the sector and includes:
- The Teacher in Every Barrio Act to provide special incentives for educators serving in remote and hard-to-reach areas.
- The E-Textbook Para sa Lahat bill to guarantee free digital access to updated learning materials for all students.
- The Classroom-Building Acceleration Program, which seeks to address the staggering backlog of 165,000 classrooms through strategic partnerships with the private sector.
Aquino emphasized that by making teacher welfare—through higher pay and reduced administrative burdens—a top priority in 2026, the government can achieve multiple goals. This strategy is seen as key to reducing educator burnout, improving overall student learning outcomes, and most importantly, restoring dignity and appeal to the teaching profession to attract the country's best talents.
He called for public vigilance and transparency, urging the executive branch to guarantee that all promised funds for teachers are released as planned, transforming the record budget numbers into tangible improvements in the lives of educators and the quality of Philippine education.
