The Marcos Jr. Administration has placed education front and center in the proposed 2026 national budget, strengthening investments that directly support learners, teachers, and school communities nationwide. During the FY 2025 DepEd Classroom Summit held at SMX Clark on Thursday, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Secretary Rolly Toledo affirmed the administration’s commitment to building safe, dignified, and climate-resilient learning spaces for all Filipino students.

 

In his speech, the DBM OIC-Secretary emphasized that the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) is, in essence, an education budget—one that reflects the government’s strengthened push for learning continuity and infrastructure development.

 

“Buong puso po naming ipinagmamalaki na ang 2026 national budget ay tunay na matatawag nating Education Budget. For the first time, 4% of our GDP is dedicated to education—clear proof that this government, under the leadership of PBBM, is investing in our children, our teachers, and our schools. Sa Bagong Pilipinas, ang kabataan ay hindi gastos—sila ang puhunan,” OIC-Secretary Toledo said.

 

He added that education infrastructure is at the heart of this investment. “Ang bawat silid-aralan ay pintuan ng pag-asa. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has consistently emphasized that every Filipino learner deserves a classroom that is safe, decent, and dignified. This vision guides our reforms.”

 

“With the DBM and the Government Procurement Policy Board operationalizing the National Government Procurement Act, we are ushering in procurement strategies that will deliver classrooms faster, more efficiently, and with greater transparency and accountability,” he noted.

 

The first-ever Classroom Summit, organized by the Department of Education (DepEd), brought together more than 1,000 participants from national agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, and development partners such as the World Bank and UNICEF. The event aimed to address the country’s chronic classroom backlog, strengthen procurement readiness, and introduce innovative and climate-adaptive school infrastructure solutions.

 

Under the proposed P928.5-billion budget for DepEd, P44.58 billion is allocated specifically for education infrastructure. This funding supports the construction of almost 4,900 new classrooms, including child-appropriate kindergarten rooms, alongside the repair of more than 9,400 existing classrooms nationwide, strengthening both access and quality of learning spaces.

 

The 2026 NEP also sets aside more than P1.134 billion for the restoration of over a hundred heritage Gabaldon school buildings, ensuring that historic structures are preserved while being made safe and functional for today’s learners. For geographically isolated and underserved communities, P3 billion is allotted for the construction of 200 new Last Mile Schools, each designed with solar power, water and sanitation facilities, and appropriate furniture to support learning in remote areas.

 

Beyond new construction, the budget includes essential complementary needs: furniture for more than 18,000 classrooms, electrification for over 400 schools, and the establishment of more than 300 new health and sanitation facilities. These investments ensure that learning environments are not only structurally sound but also holistic, functional, and conducive to student well-being.

 

There is also P9.39 billion earmarked for the Infrastructure for Safer and Resilient Schools Project, which will rehabilitate, retrofit, and rebuild nearly 1,300 disaster-affected schools, amounting to more than 13,000 classrooms nationwide. This underscores the administration’s recognition of the country’s vulnerability to disasters and its commitment to building climate-resilient school infrastructure.

 

OIC-Secretary Toledo stressed the importance of adopting more flexible and diversified classroom delivery mechanisms.

 

“Kasama ng DepEd, isinusulong natin ang mas flexible at makabagong paraan ng pagpapatayo ng silid-aralan. We will not rely on a single implementing agency. We will empower LGUs, civil society organizations, and partners closest to the communities.”

 

He closed with a message capturing the spirit of a truly learner-centered budget. “This is how we make every peso count. Every classroom we build is a statement of hope. Every repaired structure is a promise kept. Every safe, dignified learning space is a legacy we give our children. Ito ang tunay na diwa ng Bagong Pilipinas—ang pondo ng bayan, inihahandog sa kabataan.”

 

 

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Ginawang pangunahing prayoridad ng Marcos Jr. Administration ang sektor ng edukasyon sa panukalang 2026 national budget, lalo na ang paglalaan ng pondo para sa mga mag-aaral, guro, at mga paaralan sa buong bansa. Sa FY 2025 DepEd Classroom Summit na ginanap sa SMX Clark nitong Huwebes, binigyang-diin ni Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Officer-in-Charge (OIC) Secretary Rolly Toledo ang matibay na pangako ng administrasyon na magpatayo ng ligtas, maayos, at climate-resilient na mga silid-aralan para sa lahat ng kabataang Pilipino.

 

Sa kanyang mensahe, ipinaliwanag ni OIC-Secretary Toledo na ang 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) ay maituturing na isang tunay na education budget dahil nakatuon ito sa pagpapatuloy ng pagkatuto at pagpapatibay ng mga pasilidad sa buong bansa.

 

“Buong puso po naming ipinagmamalaki na ang 2026 national budget ay tunay na matatawag nating Education Budget. For the first time, 4% of our GDP is dedicated to education—clear proof that this government, under the leadership of PBBM, is investing in our children, our teachers, and our schools. Sa Bagong Pilipinas, ang kabataan ay hindi gastos—sila ang puhunan,” ani OIC-Secretary Toledo.

 

Dagdag pa niya, sentro ng mga pamumuhunang ito ang pagpapatayo at pagsasaayos ng mga silid-aralan. “Ang bawat silid-aralan ay pintuan ng pag-asa. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has consistently emphasized that every Filipino learner deserves a classroom that is safe, decent, and dignified. This vision guides our reforms.”

 

Sinabi rin ng Kalihim na mahalaga ang modernisadong sistema sa pagkuha at pagpapatupad ng mga proyekto. “With the DBM and the Government Procurement Policy Board operationalizing the National Government Procurement Act, we are ushering in procurement strategies that will deliver classrooms faster, more efficiently, and with greater transparency and accountability,” paliwanag niya.

 

Ang unang Classroom Summit na inorganisa ng Department of Education (DepEd) ay dinaluhan ng mahigit 1,000 kalahok mula sa mga national agencies, local government units, civil society organizations, at international development partners tulad ng World Bank at UNICEF. Layunin nitong tugunan ang matagal nang kakulangan sa silid-aralan, palakasin ang kahandaan sa procurement, at ipakilala ang mga makabago at climate-adaptive na solusyon sa school infrastructure.

 

Sa panukalang P928.5-billion budget para sa DepEd, may nakalaang P44.58 billion para sa education infrastructure. Kabilang dito ang pagpapatayo ng halos 4,900 bagong silid-aralan, kasama ang child-appropriate kindergarten rooms, at ang pagsasaayos ng mahigit 9,400 existing classrooms sa iba’t ibang panig ng bansa. Layunin nitong mapahusay ang access at kalidad ng mga pasilidad pang-edukasyon.

 

Kasama rin sa 2026 NEP ang higit P1.134 billion para sa restoration ng mahigit isang daang heritage Gabaldon school buildings upang mapanatili ang kanilang kasaysayan habang ginagawa silang ligtas at angkop para sa kasalukuyang mga mag-aaral. Para naman sa mga geographically isolated at underserved communities, may nakalaang P3 billion para sa pagtatayo ng 200 bagong Last Mile Schools na may solar power, water and sanitation facilities, at essential furniture para suportahan ang pagkatuto sa malalayong lugar.

 

Bukod sa pagpapatayo, nakapaloob din sa budget ang paglalaan ng furniture para sa mahigit 18,000 classrooms, electrification ng higit 400 schools, at pagtatayo ng mahigit 300 health and sanitation facilities. Ang mga ito ay bahagi ng mas komprehensibong suporta para gawing mas maayos, ligtas, at komportableng learning environment ang mga paaralan.

 

May nakalaan ding P9.39 billion para sa Infrastructure for Safer and Resilient Schools Project na tutulong sa rehabilitation, retrofit, at rebuild ng halos 1,300 paaralang naapektuhan ng kalamidad—katumbas ng mahigit 13,000 classrooms sa buong bansa. Pinapakita nito ang pagkilala ng administrasyon sa pagiging disaster-prone ng Pilipinas at ang pangangailangan ng climate-resilient school facilities.

 

Binigyang-diin din ni OIC-Secretary Toledo ang kahalagahan ng mas flexible at diversified na paraan sa pagpapatayo ng mga silid-aralan. “Kasama ng DepEd, isinusulong natin ang mas flexible at makabagong paraan ng pagpapatayo ng silid-aralan. We will not rely on a single implementing agency. We will empower LGUs, civil society organizations, and partners closest to the communities.”

 

Sa pagtatapos, iniwan ng Kalihim ang isang mensaheng sumasalamin sa diwa ng learner-centered budgeting. “This is how we make every peso count. Every classroom we build is a statement of hope. Every repaired structure is a promise kept. Every safe, dignified learning space is a legacy we give our children. Ito ang tunay na diwa ng Bagong Pilipinas—ang pondo ng bayan, inihahandog sa kabataan.”