SENATOR Joel Villanueva underscored the significance of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) and its long-term impact on the country’s education system as the commission formally submitted its final report to the Senate.

Villanueva said the EDCOM II Final Report, titled “Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reforms,” is the product of three years of rigorous study, extensive consultations, and sustained legislative work.

He described the report as a call to action that seeks to move education reform from analysis to implementation, and from fragmented initiatives toward a coherent, long-term national direction.

“The path ahead will not be easy. Education reform demands patience, sustained support, and commitment that goes beyond political terms and administrations,” Villanueva said.

“But the goal we continue to pursue—an educated, capable, and globally competitive Filipino people—is worth every challenge and every sacrifice that this reform requires,” he added.

Villanueva noted that the submission of the final report marks a pivotal moment in the country’s history, as the commission’s findings and recommendations provide a roadmap for transforming the education sector over the next decade.

Republic Act No. 11899, or the Second Congressional Commission on Education Act, was enacted in 2022 during the 18th Congress, giving rise to EDCOM II and mandating it to assess the entire education sector and recommend strategic reforms.

The senator also recalled the legacy of the First Congressional Commission on Education, convened in 1991 in response to the declining quality of Philippine education and chronic underinvestment in the sector.

That initial commission led to the landmark policy of trifocalization, separating education governance among the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority.

Villanueva said EDCOM II builds on this legacy by laying the groundwork for reforms aimed at improving learning outcomes and strengthening the country’s human capital in the years ahead.