Kabataan Party-list credits student activism for 2026 education budget hike

Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Co on Monday said the finalized education budget for 2026 was the result of sustained student-led anti-corruption movements, not the actions of the President or traditional politicians.

“Ang mga walkout ng kabataan para sa edukasyon at laban sa korapsyon ang nagpagalaw ng baso, hindi kamay ng sinumang trapo o ng pangulo mismo,” Rep. Renee Co said in a statement.

(The youth walkouts for education and against corruption were what moved the glass—not the hand of any traditional politician or the President himself.)

The bicameral committee approved the funding increase on the first day of its open deliberations for next year’s budget, with the Department of Education receiving a final allocation of P961.3 billion. This represents an P86.8-billion increase from the P874.5 billion proposed under the National Expenditure Program (NEP).

Co said the increase should not be used by politicians as political capital ahead of the 2028 elections, stressing that the gains were won through decades of student activism.

“This should not be used as a trophy or a debt of gratitude by a few politicians for their ambition in 2028. This fight by the students has been going on for decades; let us salute and further support the activism and collective action of the youth,” Rep. Co said in Filipino.

She acknowledged the bicameral committee’s commitment to the current direction of the education budget, which includes increased funding for the basic education feeding and mental health programs, higher construction costs to build 165,000 classrooms for elementary and high schools, and expanded scholarships for college and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students.

The Kabataan Party-list also welcomed the bicam’s commitment to fund programs demanded by students of State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), including addressing the P12.3-billion deficiency in the Free Higher Education Program from 2022 to 2025, as well as other priority projects and urgent facilities.

Despite the increase, Co said the additional funding remains insufficient to fully address and reverse the country’s learning crisis.

“Every year, the officials' answer to the students is pure 'gaslighting' that there is not enough funds, but it is clear now that funds were available all along,” Co said.

“Now we know the reason why. They just didn't want to release it. If we hadn't pointed it out, the wrong implementation of RA 10931, which leads to the perennial lack of funds for SUCs, would not have been corrected,” she added.

Co stressed that the fight for education reform is far from over, calling for broader changes in the sector.

“Funding is one thing. The government should also stop paving the way for the commercialization in the education sector. Our schools should not remain merely a factory for workers that can be exported. We must put the brakes on this. Let us push for an alternative: a patriotic, scientific, and pro-people system of education.”