Education Secretary Sonny Angara thanked major business and education groups on Thursday for reaffirming their confidence in the current DepEd leadership, saying their recognition of the Department’s commitment to transparency, data-driven policymaking, and collaboration strengthens efforts to advance key reforms under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s education agenda.
Angara said the renewed show of support follows the groups’ joint endorsement of the proposed P1.38-trillion allocation for the education sector in the 2026 national budget.
The Philippine Business for Education (PBEd), Makati Business Club (MBC), Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA), and the Association of Foundations noted that sustained confidence in Angara’s reform is crucial to ensuring that increased investments yield meaningful improvements for learners, teachers, and schools. ‘We reiterate our confidence in Sec. Sonny Angara and the current team of DepEd, whose commitment to transparency, data-driven policymaking, and collaboration provides the stability needed to advance key reforms,’ the joint statement said.
The Department, which received PhP1.044 trillion budget in the Senate version of the General Appropriations Bill, also echoes the private sector’s call to move education spending closer to global benchmarks while ensuring stricter transparency and accountability in the bicameral conference committee deliberations.
‘The direction set by President Marcos to invest strongly in human capital provides us with the foundation to push reforms that matter,’ Angara said. ‘Our commitment is to ensure that every peso is used effectively and that learners, teachers, and parents feel the impact in their classrooms and communities.’
DepEd said it shares these priorities, noting that recent internal reforms-such as the launch of the DepEd Open Data (Project BUKAS) initiative, accelerated and flexible classroom procurement reforms, and the shift to evidence-based policy design-were all designed to improve transparency and implementation discipline.
Angara also highlighted that his leadership has placed greater emphasis on partnerships with the private sector and development organizations. Since his appointment as Secretary, DepEd has expanded collaborations on teacher upskilling, digital learning support, curriculum enhancement, and learning remediation.
These include initiatives with the business community, philanthropic groups, publishers, and international partners such as UNICEF, World Bank, Asian Development Bank (ADB), UNESCO, USAID, and SEAMEO-INNOTECH to complement government efforts.
‘These partnerships help us rebuild confidence in the public school system,’ Angara said. ‘They bring expertise, innovation, and accountability into the work of improving learning outcomes.’
He added that the trust expressed by the country’s leading business and education institutions is a clear indication that the sector is moving toward a more stable, data-driven, and collaborative reform environment.