SENATE Committee on Basic Education chairman Bam Aquino welcomed the P1.38 trillion allocation for education in 2026—the largest in Philippine history—calling it a true education budget that can help address the country’s massive classroom backlog and boost student nutrition.

“Let me say that the work that the committee has put into the budget is really exemplary. Sa totoo lang po, matatawag talagang education budget itong budget natin,” Aquino said during plenary deliberations on the Department of Education budget.

“Ngayon lang tayo sa 4 to 6 percent na prescribed ng United Nations. Ibig sabihin po noon, nasa tamang paggastos tayo pagdating sa edukasyon,” he added, referring to the UN recommendation that education spending should be 4 to 6 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.

Aquino said the Senate allotted an additional P70 billion in its version of the 2026 national budget, raising classroom construction funding from P13.2 billion in the National Expenditure Program to P65.9 billion—a P52.7-billion increase.

For student nutrition, the Senate is pushing to increase the school-based feeding program budget from P11.7 billion to P28.6 billion, a P16.9-billion jump.

“That’s really a huge amount. Ang ibig sabihin lang po niyan, seryoso talaga tayo sa pagtugon sa problemang ito,” Aquino said, referring to the 165,000-classroom backlog, which could grow to more than 200,000 within three years if left unaddressed.

“Ito po’y dahil may mga condemned classrooms tayo, and every year that passes, there are more classrooms that are condemned because we have a rule that at 50 years, classrooms are condemned,” he added.

Aquino noted that classrooms also deteriorate due to earthquakes, typhoons, and other natural calamities, on top of the increasing number of students entering public schools each year.

He emphasized that the Senate version of the budget builds a strong case for addressing the backlog, which would require around P540 billion to fully resolve.

He also urged DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara to set a price cap for classroom construction, including those undertaken by the Department of Public Works and Highways and PPP implementers.

On student nutrition, Aquino said the higher appropriation will allow the school-based feeding program to expand from 120 to 200 feeding days.