SENATE President Sherwin Gatchalian is expecting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s 2026 State of the Nation Address (SONA) to provide a comprehensive progress report on the implementation of the country’s historic education budget—the largest allocation ever granted to the sector and the first to meet the United Nations’ recommended benchmark for education spending.

Gatchalian said the record funding was intended to address the country’s long-standing education crisis, adding that the public deserves a clear update on how these resources are being utilized and what results have been achieved so far.

“Naglaan tayo ng makasaysayang pondo para sa edukasyon upang masugpo natin ang malawakang krisis na hinaharap ng sektor na ito. Inaasahan nating sa darating na SONA, malinaw na maiuulat sa atin kung ano na ang narating natin at ano pa ang ating aasahan para tugunan ang krisis sa edukasyon,” Gatchalian said.

The 2026 national budget allocated ₱67.9 billion for the construction of at least 22,000 classrooms as part of efforts to address the country’s classroom shortage. As of July 2025, the classroom backlog was estimated at around 147,000 classrooms.

The education budget also includes funding to cover the ₱12.3-billion deficiency in the government’s free higher education program that accumulated from 2022 to 2025.

Gatchalian noted that during his tenure as chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, he pushed for an education budget that would meet the United Nations’ recommendation of allocating 4 to 6 percent of a country’s gross domestic product (GDP) for education.

The 2026 education budget totals ₱1.35 trillion, equivalent to 4.4 percent of the country’s GDP, marking the first time the Philippines has reached the UN’s recommended benchmark for education spending.