ANG Probinsyano Party-list Rep. Alfred Delos Santos has filed a measure seeking to institutionalize the Department of Education’s Abot-Alam Project to better address the needs of out-of-school youth across the country.

Under House Bill 7955, or the proposed Abot-Alam Act, Delos Santos highlighted that a significant number of young Filipinos remain out of school, unemployed or underemployed, and have not completed tertiary or post-secondary education.

Citing data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the lawmaker noted that around four million youth fall within this vulnerable sector.

The proposed measure aims to formalize the Abot-Alam Program as a convergence and coordination framework that complements—rather than duplicates—existing government mandates.

Delos Santos explained that clearly defining the program’s role as an integrative and facilitative mechanism, instead of a parallel education system, would ensure alignment among agencies, prevent overlapping functions, and strengthen overall program implementation.

He added that institutionalizing a unified national approach to out-of-school youth development reinforces the State’s constitutional commitment to education and promotes inclusive human capital development, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.