Sponsorship Speech of Sen. Legarda | Senate Concurrent Resolution Adopting the National Education and Workforce Development Plan (2026–2035) and Recommendations of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, as the Ten-Year Policy Framework of the National Government | February 2, 2026 | Senate of the Philippines

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues,

I rise today to sponsor Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 09, co-signed by Sen. Joel Villanueva, which seeks to adopt the National Education and Workforce Development Plan for 2026 to 2035, together with the recommendations of the Second Congressional Commission on Education, or EDCOM II, as the ten-year policy framework of the National Government.

This resolution is born out of a simple but difficult truth: the challenges facing Philippine education are systemic, longstanding, and deeply intertwined with our workforce outcomes, our productivity, and our national competitiveness. They cannot be solved by piecemeal reforms, nor by policies that reset every election cycle.

For the past three years, EDCOM II has undertaken an exhaustive, evidence-based diagnosis of our education system, from early childhood to tertiary education and technical-vocational training. Its work has been grounded in research, consultation, and rigorous policy analysis. The result is a clear diagnosis, and more importantly, a coherent roadmap for reform.

What this resolution proposes is not new bureaucracy, not automatic spending mandates, and not executive micromanagement. What it proposes is policy discipline.

By adopting a ten-year National Education and Workforce Development Plan, Congress is asserting continuity. We are saying that education reform must outlast administrations, align agencies, and be sustained across budget cycles. In the same way that fiscal policy is guided by a medium-term framework, education reform must be anchored on a long-term, evidence-based plan.

The resolution identifies priority areas for reform—among them early childhood development, classroom congestion, learning recovery, teacher support, digital connectivity, stronger school-to-employment pathways, and closer alignment between education and labor market needs. These priorities are not aspirational slogans. They are grounded in data, shaped by experience, and responsive to the realities faced daily by our learners and teachers.

Equally important, this resolution recognizes the role of Congress beyond legislation. It explicitly anchors this Plan as a guide for our legislative agenda, budget deliberations, appropriations, and oversight functions. It also urges the Executive Branch to align policies and programs accordingly, while fully respecting institutional mandates and fiscal sustainability.

In short, this resolution affirms that education reform is not the responsibility of one agency, one sector, or one administration. It is a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation commitment—one that demands consistency, coordination, and accountability over the long term.

Mr. President, colleagues, this is a moment for the Senate to lead with foresight. By adopting this resolution, we are not merely endorsing a report. We are committing to a decade of deliberate, evidence-based reform that places learners, teachers, and the future workforce at the center of national development.

I therefore respectfully urge the adoption of Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 09.

Thank you, Mr. President.