Senator Loren Legarda calls PH education crisis a ‘national emergency’

Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda raised the issue of "education crisis" in her first briefing with the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) held on May 25, 2026.

During the briefing, she cited alarming data regarding declining reading proficiency and foundational learning skills among students, emphasizing the need for immediate intervention.

Drawing from findings of Second Congressional Commission on Education, Legarda said many Filipino learners continue to lag behind in basic reading abilities.

“By Grade 3, many of our learners are still unable to read. At every grade level, one in four students is a struggling reader, and this worsens to more than 80 percent in Key Stage 3 (Grades 7 to 10),” Legarda noted EDCOM’s report. “Even more alarming, in Grade 11, 87 percent of students were found not to be independent readers. This education issue is a national emergency.”

The senator stressed the need for policymakers to directly observe conditions in schools to better understand the challenges confronting the education sector.

“Bilang Chair ng Senate Committee on Basic Education, mahalaga sa akin na makita mismo ang mga hamon upang masiguro na maayos na naipatutupad ang mga sistemang kailangan. Hindi kailangang magsayang ng malaking gastos para ma-educate ang mga bata. Sa edad na sampu, dapat malinaw na sa kanila ang kahalagahan ng pagbabasa at pagsusulat. Kung nahuhuli pa rin, tungkulin nating tulungan silang makabawi,” Legarda added.

To help address learning gaps, Legarda pushed for a broad strategy that includes improving early-grade reading programs, enhancing teacher training, ensuring the prompt distribution of quality learning materials, and incorporating culture and history into foundational education.

She also advocated reviving a stronger reading culture in the country and expressed support for local authors and publishers.

“Gusto kong bumalik tayo sa pagbabasa ng aklat. Let a thousand bookstores and writers bloom. In doing so, we educate our youth, and at the same time, we also sustain our writers, publishers, and creators,” Legarda added.

Legarda emphasized that education should also deepen students’ understanding of Philippine history and identity, raising concerns over whether learners fully appreciate the significance of the country’s historical figures and heritage.

“By Grade 5, dapat kaya na nilang ipaliwanag ang mga nagawa ni Rizal at ang kanyang mga adhikain. Mahalaga ang kasaysayan at kultura, dapat ito ay buhay sa ating mga paaralan,” she said.

To reinforce cultural awareness, the senator proposed strengthening cultural mapping initiatives in partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, with teachers serving as cultural mappers within their communities.

Legarda also said commemorative observances mandated by law should be integrated into classroom activities instead of resulting in class suspensions, allowing students to learn about history, culture, and civic responsibility while remaining in school.

The four-term senator highlighted the importance of the ARAL Law, which she co-authored, in strengthening reading interventions and addressing severe learning deficiencies among students.

She likewise reiterated support for several pending education measures, including proposed amendments to the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education Act that would create a Basic Education Voucher Program, a proposed Classroom Building Acceleration Program aimed at speeding up the construction of resilient classrooms through partnerships with local governments and civil society groups, and the proposed Masustansyang Pagkain Bill focused on improving student nutrition.

Legarda also cited her earlier legislative work on education reforms, including co-sponsoring Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013, which institutionalized the K to 12 program, authoring Integrated History Act of 2016 mandating the integration of Philippine history and culture into the curriculum, and authoring Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act, which expanded free higher education access in state universities and colleges.

“The solutions are within our reach, but they require urgency, coordination, and sustained political will. We must ensure that every Filipino child can read, understand, and participate meaningfully in nation-building,” Legarda said.

She concluded by stressing that meaningful public service goes beyond passing legislation and should ultimately improve the quality of education and learning outcomes nationwide.

“Ang tunay na tagumpay ay hindi lang nasusukat sa pagpasa ng batas, kundi sa kung paano natin naiaangat ang kalidad ng pagtuturo at pagkatuto, at kung paano natin napapalakas ang pundasyon ng kinabukasan ng ating bansa,” Legarda concluded.

-Paraluman News