Legarda sponsors measure to extend EDCOM II to December 2027

Senator Loren Legarda has sponsored Senate Bill No. 1483, seeking to extend the mandate of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) until December 2027, underscoring the Commission’s sustained momentum and its role in driving evidence-based reforms in the education sector.

Legarda, who serves as Co-Chair of EDCOM II, cited the Commission’s landmark reports ‘Miseducation: The Failed System of Philippine Education’ and ‘Fixing the Foundations: A Matter of National Survival’ as “the most rigorous, data-informed diagnosis of our education system in recent memory.”

The four-term Senator emphasized that EDCOM II has not merely produced analysis, but has directly influenced legislation, financing, and inter-agency coordination.

“The Commission brought together national agencies, local governments, schools, research institutions, and civil society partners to translate evidence into reform,” she said.

In the 19th Congress, EDCOM II’s work contributed to the passage of ten education laws. In the 20th Congress, it supports the development of six priority measures listed under the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC), alongside other proposals aimed at strengthening access, equity, and quality.

Legarda said she is committed to advancing key reforms informed by EDCOM II’s research, including the Last Mile Schools bill and the modernization of the charters of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).

“EDCOM II has functioned both as a think tank and as a coordinating body, building trust and consensus among agencies, teachers, parents, and policymakers,” Legarda said, citing the Commission’s joint meeting with DepEd, CHED, and TESDA, and its role in helping establish the Education and Workforce Development Group under Administrative Order No. 36.

While its mandate under Republic Act No. 11899 concludes in December 2025, Legarda clarified that EDCOM II has not entered a period of winding down.

“Instead, it continues to move with full momentum, compelled by the understanding that while much has been achieved, significant work remains to build the education system our people deserve,” she said.

“We are at a moment when progress is within reach,” Legarda furthered. “The work has direction. The coordination is in place. The momentum is real. It is only right that we see it through.”

The proposed extension received support from DepEd, CHED, and TESDA during the October 8, 2025 hearing of the Senate Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education, chaired by Legarda. (30)