PANGASINAN 5th District Rep. Ramon Juico Jr. filed a measure that aims to amend the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 and use value-added tax collections for education.

House Bill 1421 mandates the automatic allocation of 20 percent of all VAT proceeds for the construction of buildings, classrooms, toilets and other structures for pre-school education.

The VAT proceeds will also be allotted for the Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Program for pre-school education; acquisition and improvement of sites for elementary, secondary and for state and local universities and colleges.

It will also be used to fund scholarship grants for technical education and skills development and scholarship grants for qualified students enrolled in science and engineering courses.

“Often we tout that education is the paramount solution to our country’s woes and yet, even with the very same annually accorded the lion’s share of the national budget, our education system remains far from exceptional,” Juico said in his explanatory note.

He added that severe learning conditions negatively impact the academic development of many Filipino children.

“Ideally, the classroom-student ratio should be at 1:45, but present realities indicate otherwise. There’s also the problem of decrepit school facilities such as libraries, workshops, and even comfort rooms that exacerbates the already uncomfortable conditions many Filipino students and teachers suffer from,” the lawmaker said.