IN A SIGNIFICANT move to strengthen early childhood education nationwide, the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Council has signed a memorandum of agreement with 57 local chief executives to establish Child Development Centers (CDCs) in 154 underserved barangays.

The agreement outlines the implementation of multi-purpose building projects to serve as CDCs. These will be funded through the Local Government Support Fund – Financial Assistance to Local Government Units under the General Appropriations Act.

The signing was witnessed by Department of Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara and Department of Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman.

“This milestone is a step in the right direction in our collective efforts to fix the foundations of our education system,” said EDCOM 2 Executive Director Dr. Karol Mark Yee.

“This agreement reflects the government’s strong commitment to addressing our learning crisis, and we commend President Bongbong Marcos for his decisive leadership.”

The MOA adheres to Joint Circular No. 2 issued in April 2025 by the DBM and DepEd, which mandates LGUs to construct CDCs in barangays without such facilities.

Under the circular, LGUs are required to provide a minimum 150-square-meter lot for each CDC site and shoulder any additional construction costs as part of their counterpart funding.

LGUs are also responsible for the centers’ ongoing operation, including staffing, maintenance, and utility payments.

The initiative follows President Marcos’s emphasis on early childhood care and development in his recent State of the Nation Address, where he announced a ₱1-billion allocation to build over 300 Barangay Child Development and “Bulilit” Centers nationwide.

Despite a 1990 law requiring a daycare center in every barangay, the latest EDCOM 2 Year Two Report found that over 5,800 barangays across the Philippines still lack CDCs.

“We thank DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara and DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman for their leadership and partnership in our mission to improve the quality of our ECCD system,” said Dr. Yee.

“This collaboration proves that the Marcos administration is serious about making education—especially early childhood education—a top national priority,” he added.