A bill filed by Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez (Neg. Occ., 3rd District) for the establishment of a Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) to review, assess and evaluate the state of Philippine education and recommend innovative and targeted policy reforms is now a law.
The bill that was not signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte lapsed into law on July 23 in accordance with Article VI Section 27 (1) of the Constitution, and is now Republic Act 11899.
“The education emergency requires us to review the entirety of the sector to ensure that the educational ecosystem can be made adaptive to contemporary conditions as well as upgraded so that our students have the best education possible,” Benitez said Tuesday, July 26.
The low performance in international assessments indicates poor educational outcomes that need well-thought interventions, he said.
“Learning deficiencies due to the pandemic also need concise interventions if we are to mitigate them. Any educational reform will be felt in the medium or long term and needs to account for the entire ecosystem as a whole,” he said.
“EDCOM2 is timely and gives us the opportunity to reflect on and address our education sector,” Benitez added.
The law states that EDCOM2 will place education at the center of the development policies of the State.
It will develop a harmonized and coordinated education system through a review of the mandates of the Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, the law states.
EDCOM2 will prioritize the adoption of digital transformation in education and the use of science, technology and innovation through the promotion of digital literacy, and development of critical thinking, problem-solving and other related core competencies at par with global standards, it added.
The amount necessary for the initial implementation of Republic Act 11899 will be charged against the available appropriations of the Senate and House of Representatives.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his state of the nation address Monday, stressed the need for the country do better in the international rankings, especially when it comes to the so-called STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
“These skills and this knowledge are necessary for our young people to be able to compete in a highly technological and competitive world,” Marcos said.
“Foreign employers have always favored Filipino employees because of our command of the English language…this is an advantage that we must continue to enjoy”, he added.
The internet has now become the global marketplace. Not only for goods services but also for ideas, even extending to personal interactions, he said.
“The language of the internet – for better or for worse – is English. Therefore, the question of our medium of instruction must be continuously re-examined to maintain that advantage that we have established as an English-speaking people,” Marcos said.
Meanwhile, Benitez has just filed House Bill 2332 seeking the establishment of a Professional Regulation Commission satellite office in Victorias City, HB 2333 for a Technical Education and Skills Development Authority training center in Murcia, and HB 2334 for a Regional Trial Court Branch in Victorias City.
He also filed HB 2335 for the creation of an agriculture information system.*