THE Senate of the Philippines and the House of Representatives jointly passed a Concurrent Resolution urging President Bongbong Marcos to establish a Cabinet Cluster for Education last June 11, 2025, the last day of the 19th Congress.
The proposed education cluster advocated by Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) is proposed to address long-standing issues identified by the Commission in its Year 1 and 2 Reports, , including functional illiteracy, lack of access to quality early childhood education, the glaring mismatch between graduate skills and industry needs, as well as significant gaps in teacher development.
The EDCOM 2 Co-Chairpersons, Sen. Win Gatchalian and Cong. Roman Romulo, pushed for the adoption of the resolution in both houses during the 19th Congress, resulting in a landmark consensus on the importance of the Cluster to institutionalize coordination of education agencies as the country tackles the learning crisis.
A central finding of EDCOM 2’s Year One Report, Miseducation: The Failed System of Philippine Education, revealed that since the “trifocalization” of the education sector in the 1990s—which separated the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) from what used to be the Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS)—over 100 inter-agency bodies have been created to fix coordination problems, with limited success.
“Most of the issues reported by EDCOM2 – functional literacy crisis, challenges in senior high school, job-skills mismatch, and gaps in teacher specialization – stem from a lack of coordination among the various education departments,” said EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson Rep. Roman Romulo. “The Cabinet Cluster for Education will serve as a vital platform for these agencies to collaborate more closely, ensuring aligned efforts and unified direction under the leadership and guidance of the President.”
The call for the cluster builds on President Marcos’s directive from August 2024 for education agencies to develop a comprehensive 10-year education and workforce development strategy. The creation of a Cabinet-level cluster is seen as the essential next step to ensure that strategy is implemented effectively.
“The creation of the cluster is a necessary and long-overdue step to address the fragmented governance that has hampered real progress,” said EDCOM 2 Commissioner Rep. Pablo John Garcia. “With the persistent job-skills mismatch, underwhelming outcomes in senior high school, and the learning crisis revealed by EDCOM 2, a high-level, coordinated approach is crucial to help our students. This cluster will provide the strategic direction and coherence needed to ensure that every Filipino learner—whether bound for college or the workforce—is equipped with the right skills, knowledge, and opportunities to succeed.”
The initiative has garnered widespread endorsement from key government agencies, education stakeholders, and experts, who support the call for enhanced alignment within the education sector, and the strategic allocation of resources toward urgent national goals.
“Marami na tayong nagawa para sa epektibo at makabuluhang pagtutulungan ng mga ahensya, ngunit marami pang kailangang gawin para mapahusay ang edukasyon, palakasin ang training, at maihanda nang mabuti ang mga kabataan para sa trabaho,” said Rep. Mark Go, EDCOM 2 Co-Chairperson. “This move sets us on the right path, uniting these agencies to plan better, invest smarter, and equip students with the skills they need for stable and in-demand jobs.”
The Senate’s version of the resolution was endorsed by EDCOM 2 Commissioners including Senators Gatchalian, Cayetano, Villanueva, and Legarda. Senators Pia Cayetano and Risa Hontiveros similarly underscored its importance in improving education quality, citing that the establishment of such a body has been long overdue.
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