Sophia Buenavidez

To address systemic gaps and enhance accountability among the country’s top education agencies, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano announced that the upcoming Third Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 3) will introduce key structural changes last June 12.

Photo Courtesy of Manila Bulletin.

“Through EDCOM 3, we want to ensure that high-level coordination and decisive policymaking become the norm – not the exception – in Philippine education,” Cayetano said.

The proposed legislation will elevate the heads of the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) as full commissioners with voting rights within EDCOM 3.

This aims to ensure the direct participation of implementing agencies in monitoring education policy, an improvement from the less involved roles they held in EDCOM 1 and 2.

To strengthen legislative and political backing, the commission will include four co-chairpersons from both chambers of Congress.

It will also conduct continuous, rolling evaluations, propose timely policy updates, and submit annual progress reports to Congress to enhance transparency and accountability.

Senate Bill No. 3006 proposes the creation of an Advisory Support Council composed of eight members, two each from the academe, business sector, parents' associations, and civil society organizations actively engaged in education emphasizing their aim to unify lawmakers, educational experts, and key agencies to “create a cohesive and clear roadmap for reform”.

EDCOM 3 will also prioritize addressing high dropout rates, learning poverty, and gaps in digital infrastructure.

The proposed enhancements have already garnered support, including from EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee.