Senator Bam Aquino said Filipino youth stand to benefit from the 2026 national budget after President Bongbong Marcos signed the ₱6.793 trillion General Appropriations Act, which allocates ₱1.34 trillion to the education sector.
Aquino said the education allocation secures funding for programs that directly affect students, including classroom construction, school-based feeding, and the continued implementation of free tertiary education. He said the budget provides the resources needed to strengthen access to education and improve learning conditions nationwide.
The education budget includes ₱68 billion for the construction of new classrooms, ₱25.6 billion for the expansion of the School-Based Feeding Program, and ₱67 billion to support the Free College Law.
“Panalo ang kabataang Pilipino ngayong naaprubahan na ang 2026 national budget. Sa pamamagitan nito, mapopondohan na at maipatutupad nang tama ang mga mahahalagang programang makatutulong upang mapalakas at mapabuti ang sektor ng edukasyon,” Aquino said.
Aquino chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education and has pushed for increased spending on classrooms, nutrition programs, and higher education access.
Economic managers said the ₱1.34 trillion allocation brings education spending to at least 4 percent of gross domestic product, meeting the benchmark recommended by UNESCO for public investment in education.
Marcos signed the 2026 budget on January 5. During the signing, he said the administration would continue reforms in education alongside health protection, food security, social protection, and job creation. He also said the education budget will support the creation of new teaching and non-teaching positions in public schools, as well as the promotion or reclassification of teachers.
The 2026 budget takes effect as government agencies begin implementing education programs for the coming fiscal year.
