SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Tuesday called for the efficient and strategic use of the country’s record P1.35-trillion education budget for 2026 following the release of the EDCOM 2 Final Report, which outlines the National Education and Workforce Development Plan for the next decade.

Gatchalian, who chairs the Senate Committee on Finance, stressed that the historic allocation—equivalent to 4.4 percent of the country’s gross domestic product—must translate into concrete gains in learning recovery and early childhood care and development.

The senator highlighted major investments in learning recovery programs, including the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, which has been allotted P8.96 billion.

The program aims to deploy around 440,000 tutors nationwide and support approximately 6.7 million learners struggling with learning gaps.

Gatchalian also underscored increased funding for early childhood care and development (ECCD), particularly the P2.56-billion allocation from the Local Government Support Fund.

The funding will support the conversion of day care centers in fourth- and fifth-class municipalities into child development centers and finance the hiring of child development workers in these low-income areas.

“We allocated a historic amount for education to end the crisis in the sector. But funding alone is not enough,” Gatchalian said. “It must be used properly to give our young people a real chance to succeed inside and outside the classroom.”

The senator said the release of the EDCOM 2 Final Report provides a timely roadmap for ensuring that education spending delivers measurable improvements in learning outcomes and workforce readiness over the next ten years.