QUEZON CITY  -- Senator Sonny Angara highlights the need to build accountability systems not only in good governance but also in education sector during the organizational meeting of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) Standing Committee on Governance and Finance today, March 9, 2023.

“We gave so much freedom, but there were very weak accountability mechanisms [in the education sector],” Senator Angara said.

He cited numerous government scholarship programs that lacked accountability mechanisms. Meanwhile, he also mentioned improvements to the sector through the years.

“In the 1980s, for instance, during the first Aquino Presidency, we were spending around 2.4% of our GDP on education. And as we enter the second Marcos administration in the 2020s, we're spending about 3.7% of GDP, and we hit the high in 2018 of 3.9%,” Senator Angara said.

Sen. Angara is the Co-Chairperson of the Standing Committee together with and one of the Commissioners of EDCOM 2.
Also present during the Standing Committee meeting were EDCOM 2 Co-Chairpersons Senator Sherwin Gatchalian and Rep. Roman Romulo, EDCOM 2 Commissioner and Standing Committee Co-Chairperson Rep. Khalid Dimaporo, Advisory Council members Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, Mr. Fred Ayala, and Dr. Nene Guevara. Also present were Standing Committee members Mayor Jimuel Que of Bongao, Tawi-Tawi; Dr. Emerlinda Roman, Professor Emeritus at the University of the Philippines; Mr. Mike Luz, Dean of the Asian Institute of Management; Mr. Ernie Garilao, Chairman of the Zuellig Family Foundation; Dr. Ciel Habito, Professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, and Dr. Vince Fabella, President of Jose Rizal University.

EDCOM 2 is the Congressional body created through RA11899, tasked to undertake a comprehensive national assessment and evaluation of the performance of the Philippine education sector. In the next three years, it will also recommend legislation that aims to address the education crisis in the country. (PIA CPSD/EDCOM 2)