VALENZUELA CITY 1st District Representative Rex Gatchalian pushed a measure that will authorize provinces, cities and municipalities to use their special education fund as collateral for loans to build classrooms.

House Bill 6267 aims to amend Section 272 of Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.

In his explanatory note, the lawmaker cited the World Bank’s Ambisyon Natin 2040 survey saying that every Filipino considers education as vital to achieve one’s goals and ambitions in life.

“However, learning poverty in the Philippines has soared to new heights with nine out of ten Filipinos unable to read and understand short, age-appropriate texts by the age of 10,” Gatchalian said.

To address the crisis, he said local government units must have more power and autonomy to improve education and be more involved in the development of their students.

“LGUs are closer to the needs of their constituents and are more capable to handle the different aspects of education in their jurisdiction,” he added.

“This is one more instance where decentralization of power will not only greatly benefit the local communities but also relieve the national government of a financial burden,” Gatchalian said.