THE Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) today officially launched “Bayang Bumabasa: Mayors for Literacy,” a nationwide social media video challenge that calls on mayors across the country to take the lead in improving foundational literacy in their localities.
Timed with the first day in office of newly elected and re-elected mayors, the campaign urges local chief executives to place literacy at the top of their education agenda. The campaign “Bawat Bata Makakabasa, Para sa Bayang Bumabasa!” encourages mayors to create short videos sharing their cities’ innovative literacy initiatives, best practices, and inspiring collective action from the outset of their new administrations.
The challenge officially kicks off with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, who has accepted the inaugural challenge from EDCOM 2 and will release her video next week.
This call to action is rooted in the ground. During a recent site visit focused on learning recovery, EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo emphasized the critical role of LGUs in helping children learn to read. “Local communities also need support, especially the LGUs. We need to engage the LGUs more,” he said.
“LGUs should really be involved. DILG should help out. Let’s lessen the burden on teachers and schools. If we truly want to reach children who struggle with reading, there needs to be coordination from the barangay to the city level. Literacy should be everyone’s agenda, not just DepEd’s,” he added.
The challenge also responds to alarming results from the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA), which showed that 2,851,215 students or 52.26% of Grades 1 to 3 learners assessed are not yet reading at grade level. While the Department of Education has strengthened its remediation programs, EDCOM 2 underscores that sustainable progress requires active involvement from local governments.
“Improving the quality of education is a marching order from the President, and we believe LGUs have a critical role to play. If we can scale the kind of commitment and innovation we’ve seen in some of the top-performing LGUs, we can lift learning outcomes across the country,” said Department of Education Secretary Sonny Angara.
EDCOM 2 encourages the public to actively engage with the challenge by watching Mayor Belmonte’s video, and staying tuned to see which other mayors will accept the challenge and share their city’s unique literacy journeys. Their videos will be shared on their respective social media platforms using the campaign hashtags to amplify reach. The public is also enjoined to take note of their mayors’ commitments to foundational literacy and help ensure these initiatives translate into tangible improvements for children in their communities.
EDCOM 2 remains committed to its comprehensive review of the Philippine education system and believes that collaborative initiatives like this, which engage local leaders and communities, are crucial for achieving meaningful and sustainable improvements in education quality and access for all Filipinos.
About the Author
