Gatchalian Hopes SONA Will Outline Plans to Tackle PH Education Crisis

MANILA, Philippines — As President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. prepares to deliver his fifth State of the Nation Address (Sona) on Monday, Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian on Saturday expressed hope that the President would outline plans to address the country’s education crisis. Gatchalian also said he expects Marcos to report on the implementation of the historic 2026 education budget, under which the sector received a record P1.35 trillion—the first time the Philippines met the United Nations’ recommended benchmark for education spending. READ: SONA 2026: Where does Marcos’ 40,000-classroom promise stand? “We allocated a historic budget for education to address the widespread crisis that this sector is facing. We are hoping that for the upcoming Sona, we will hear progress report and what we can expect to solve the education crisis,” Gatchalian said in Filipino in a press release. Gatchalian served as the chairperson of the Senate committee on finance during the budget deliberations for the 2026 national budget. Gatchalian also pointed out the classroom backlog across the country, noting that this year’s budget covers P12.3-billion funding deficiency in the free higher education program accumulated from 2022 to 2025. Of the total budget allocated for the education sector, P1.015 trillion goes to the Department of Education (DepEd). The Senate chief said that P67.9 billion is allotted for the construction of at least 22,000 classrooms. Citing the DepEd’s National School Building Inventory, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) said that the current classroom backlog across the country exceeds 166,000. The commission also said that 51,222 classrooms will be at least 50 years old by 2028, or by the time Marcos ends his term. An analysis made by Edcom 2 in January 2026 showed that proficiency rates among Filipino students plunged as they moved through the education system. In a statement, it said that “the proportion of students considered “proficient” to “highly proficient” begins at a low baseline and then becomes negligible by the time they reach high school.” Meanwhile, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro recently said that Marcos did not disclose what he will announce on his Sona but she hinted on possible “earthshaking announcements.” /jpv