SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian has vowed to push for an additional ₱55 billion in the 2026 education budget to ensure the allocation reaches at least 4 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Pagsisikapan nating tugunan ang kakulangan sa pondo ng edukasyon upang mas marami pa tayong matulungan—mga mag-aaral man o guro,” said Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance.

The 2026 National Expenditure Program earmarks ₱1.224 trillion for education, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The agency earlier said this already accounts for 4 percent of GDP.

However, Gatchalian’s office clarified that the actual allocation stands at only ₱1.178 trillion, or 3.8 percent of projected GDP for 2026.

The discrepancy, the senator explained, stems from DBM’s inclusion of ₱46.045 billion in individual pension contributions from education sector employees—an item that, under UNESCO guidelines, should not be considered government spending.

UNESCO’s Education 2030 Incheon Declaration recommends that countries allocate at least 4 percent of GDP to education to ensure access to quality and inclusive learning.

Gatchalian said he would work with his colleagues in the Senate to close the gap and align the Philippines’ education budget with international standards.