President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has announced a significant commitment to education, allocating PhP1 billion for the construction of over 300,000 Barangay Child Development Centers and Bulilit Centers nationwide. This initiative directly addresses the long-standing shortage of early childhood care facilities across the Philippines.
In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered on Monday at the Batasang Pambansa, President Marcos underscored that education remains the paramount priority of his administration. “We are diligently improving and enhancing our education system. Among all the Administration’s priorities, education remains at the pinnacle,” he stated.
The President emphasized the widespread reach of the new daycare centers, prioritizing “needy and remote areas.”
Beyond early childhood development, President Marcos also vowed to construct an additional 44,000 classrooms before his term concludes. This ambitious goal builds upon the nearly 22,000 new classrooms opened in the last three years under his administration.
“We should no longer cut short their class hours due to a lack of classrooms,” the President asserted, calling on Congress for full support to achieve this target. He also indicated that sufficient funds would be allocated for this endeavor, emphasizing its importance for students’ learning.
Other key educational initiatives highlighted by the President include the intensified implementation of the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) program, designed to ensure the holistic development of Filipino children. This year also saw the launch of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) program, focused on equipping Kindergarten to Grade 10 learners with essential foundational skills. Furthermore, President Marcos committed to deploying more school counselors to safeguard students’ mental health.
