SEVERAL lawmakers renewed calls for increased investment in education as Congress resumed deliberations on the proposed 2027 National Expenditure Program (NEP), with EDCOM 2 leaders pressing for sustained funding for classrooms, state universities, and student assistance programs.

EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Sen. Bam Aquino urged the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to ensure the immediate release of funds for classroom construction, noting that a large portion of the ₱67-billion allocation in the 2026 budget remains tagged for late release.

Aquino emphasized that addressing the country’s classroom shortage requires consistent funding over the next decade and called for the 2027 budget to be aligned with EDCOM 2’s 10-year National Education and Workforce Development Plan, or NatPlan.

DBM Acting Secretary Kim Robert de Leon assured senators that the agency would work with Aquino’s office to secure sufficient funding and support the education reforms outlined in the NatPlan.

Meanwhile, at the House Committee on Appropriations, EDCOM 2 Co-Chair Rep. Jude Acidre pushed for a standardized funding framework for State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), citing inconsistencies in government reimbursements under the Free Higher Education program.

Acidre proposed studying a uniform tuition rate of ₱200 per unit across SUCs, arguing that adequate resources are essential to maintaining the quality of higher education.

CHED Chairperson Shirley Agrupis said implementing the proposal would require an additional ₱2.4 billion on top of the current ₱9.1-billion allocation.

Akbayan Rep. Chel Diokno also raised concerns over the targeting of the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES), citing EDCOM 2 findings showing that only 5.54% of Grade 12 completers from the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) enrolled in college through TES during Academic Year 2025–2026, far below the government’s 40% target.

Agrupis said CHED’s nationwide outreach campaigns have significantly increased applications from 4Ps beneficiaries, with about 1.2 million applications now undergoing validation.

Akbayan Rep. Percival Cendaña highlighted shortages of Special Needs Education (SNED) teachers and health professionals, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), which still lacks a bachelor’s degree program for SNED.

Agrupis said CHED has prioritized scholarships for speech pathology, occupational therapy, and SNED programs, while also establishing the Bangsamoro Education Coordination Forum to help address the region’s workforce gap.

The budget hearings will continue as lawmakers seek to restore and strengthen funding for higher education programs amid what EDCOM 2 has described as the country’s ongoing learning crisis.