Education Secretary Sonny Angara reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) in addressing gaps in the Philippine education system.

In a news release Wednesday, Angara acknowledged the Commission’s role in driving education reforms and expressed gratitude to Congress for enacting laws based on its recommendations.

“It’s a wonderful occasion – the release of the EDCOM Year 2 Report. We thank the Senate, under Senate President Chiz Escudero, for passing laws recommended by EDCOM II,” Angara said during the unveiling of EDCOM II’s Year 2 report.

A former EDCOM II commissioner, Angara noted that 37 priority education bills are in the legislative pipeline, with five already signed into law.

Among the approved measures are the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program Law (Republic Act No. 12028) and the Basic Education Mental Health and Well-Being Promotion Act (Republic Act No. 12080).

As DepEd chief, Angara is implementing reforms aligned with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive and EDCOM II’s findings. These include:

• Early Procurement Activities (EPA) for learning materials like textbooks and laptops to address procurement delays
• Updates to procurement policies for textbooks and teacher manuals to improve quality assurance
• Senior High School curriculum revisions, reducing subjects while enhancing focus on essential skills
• Fast-tracking of classroom construction, targeting 105,000 new classrooms, starting with 15,000 through Public-Private Partnership (PPP) this year.

Angara said collaboration between DepEd and EDCOM II is essential in ensuring the government’s education agenda moves forward effectively.

“Certainly, I was once part of you. The work of EDCOM is very much welcome and appreciated,” he said, reiterating his full support for the commission’s initiatives.

The EDCOM Year 2 report, Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival, outlines the urgent priorities in Philippine education, which Angara pledged to address through DepEd’s policies and programs.

“We worked in lockstep with our former colleagues, Secretary Sonny Angara and Secretary Kiko Benitez, who have since taken our collective call for change to the executive branch. This year, no less than the President has also expressed his full support, personally acting on measures to ensure coordination among education agencies and emphasizing the need for greater focus on the first 1,000 days,” the report said. (PNA)