Multiply-Ed Philippines warns that the 2026 education budget, while bigger overall, fails to address urgent needs of marginalized learners and essential classroom resources like textbooks. The group raised alarm that allocations continue to shrink for programs that already benefit those most in need.
The Department of Education is set to receive ₱928 billion, equal to 3.2% of GDP. This is far below UNESCO’s recommended 6% benchmark, which would require at least ₱1.71 trillion. Multiply-Ed’s monitoring shows that fixing input gaps for senior high schools alone would cost ₱437.4 billion. For all public schools, the gap could reach ₱1.7 trillion.
Programs supporting marginalized learners saw major cuts. Special Needs Education dropped from ₱1 billion to ₱850 million. Indigenous Peoples’ Education lost half its budget, from ₱154 million to ₱75 million. Madrasah Education, supporting Muslim learners, was slightly reduced to ₱496 million.
“Programs for Special Education, Indigenous Peoples’ Education, the Alternative Learning System, and Madrasah Education have consistently exceeded their targets. Cutting their budgets now denies marginalized learners the education they deserve,” said John Elsisura, Amplify-Ed National Campaign Coordinator, during the People’s Budget Review in Congress.
Classroom resources also took a hit. Textbooks and instructional materials lost ₱1 billion, dropping to ₱11 billion. Learning tools and equipment were cut by ₱657 million. The basic education curriculum fell by ₱132 million, and physical fitness and sports were reduced by ₱256 million.
At the same time, some programs gained huge increases. The Computerization Program jumped to ₱16 billion, a 577% rise. Personnel benefits ballooned from ₱14 billion to ₱70 billion. TechVoc vouchers rose 58%, reaching ₱2.2 billion.
Multiply-Ed reiterated its call to “fund the margins” and prioritize inclusive education in line with its budget agenda. The group stressed that no learner should be left behind and that education funds must respond to actual learning needs.
