SENATE Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano welcomed the signing into law of a measure extending the term of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) until 2027, saying it will help sustain efforts to reform the country’s education system.

Cayetano said the extension will allow lawmakers and education leaders to continue pursuing deeper structural reforms to address persistent challenges in the education sector.

“The people of EDCOM II have already proven themselves. Their work speaks for itself. If we follow it, we’ll get so far. This extension will help us push the reforms our education system needs,” the minority leader said.

Republic Act No. 12315, signed on March 4, 2026, amended Republic Act No. 11899 to extend the commission’s mandate until December 31, 2027.

EDCOM II’s original term was set to end in December 2025, but lawmakers recognized the need for more time to advance reforms, conduct consultations, and oversee the implementation of the national education agenda.

Cayetano, a former co-chairperson of EDCOM II and former chairperson of the Senate Committee on Higher Education, said his experience with the commission gave him a deeper understanding of the long-standing problems facing the country’s education system.

“EDCOM really made me understand the problems in education and how to try to fix it,” he said.

The extension will allow the commission to continue studying reforms related to curriculum alignment, teacher training, school infrastructure, and learning resources.

It will also support efforts to update the national education roadmap by integrating emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, digital systems, and green innovations to better prepare Filipino learners for future jobs.

Cayetano stressed that improving the education system requires decisive action from both lawmakers and government agencies.

“We have to do something radical. The task of the 20th Congress is not only for change or to do something, but it is the radical change that is needed, the hard decisions. [Let’s] put our money where our mouth is,” he said.

The senator also pushed for sustained education reforms through Senate Bill No. 103, which seeks to establish the Third Congressional Commission on Education or EDCOM III.

The proposed body aims to strengthen coordination among the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to better align education policies with workforce and national development needs.