Senator Alan Peter Cayetano called for urgent and unified action to reform the Philippines’ education system, warning that failure to act now will lead to the same issues persisting for decades.
As co-chair of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), Cayetano spoke at the launch of its Year Two Report, “Fixing the Foundations,” on January 28, 2025, describing the 300-page report as “truthful but depressing.”
“Whatever we do now, that is what we will see in 2035, 2045, and 2050,” he said.
The report details the current state of Philippine education and offers recommendations for addressing issues across all levels, from early childhood to tertiary education.
The senator from Taguig stressed the need for a shared vision for reform, one that focuses on creating top-tier schools and enabling Filipinos to reach their full potential.
“If in your eyes you saw no more domestic helpers forced to work in the Middle East or Hong Kong because they are now better educated, or they are still abroad but they’ll be engineers, architects, that will happen if we fix our education system now,” according to him.
He added that a common goal could unite leaders despite disagreements on specific strategies.
“If EDCOM 2 was really able to paint that vision into our minds, then we can disagree with everything else pero pareho ang vision.”IMT