SENATOR URGES PRIORITIZATION OF EDUCATION HEALTH IN 2026 BUDGET DELIBERATIONS
/ 14 December 2025
SENATOR Erwin Tulfo on Saturday emphasized the need to prioritize education and health spending, stressing that these sectors are critical to the country’s long-term development.
Speaking during the Bicameral Conference Committee deliberations on the 2026 national budget, Tulfo said education and health should be treated as strategic investments rather than discretionary expenses.
“This representation firmly believes that our collective focus must be education and health,” Tulfo said. “These are the twin foundations of long-term national development. They are not optional expenditures. They are strategic investments that determine whether our people merely survive or truly thrive.”
Focusing on education, Tulfo noted the country continues to grapple with deep-seated challenges, including learning poverty, overcrowded classrooms, and underpaid teachers. He also pointed out that many students are still struggling to recover from years of disruptions caused by recent crises.
In the health sector, Tulfo cited overstretched hospitals, under-supported health workers, and persistent inequality in access to quality healthcare, particularly in rural and remote communities.
Tulfo said the ongoing bicameral conference provides lawmakers a crucial opportunity to realign government spending toward sectors that directly improve the lives of Filipinos.
“This bicameral conference is our opportunity to correct course, to realign resources toward sectors that directly uplift our people, to ensure transparency and accountability, and to restore public trust in the budgeting process,” he said, urging fellow legislators to be guided by conscience rather than political considerations.
