Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday renewed his call to fix what he described as a fragmented education system by reintroducing a bill that would create the Third Congressional Commission on Education or EDCOM III.
Senate Bill No. 103, one of Cayetano’s priority bills in the 20th Congress, seeks to bring together the Department of Education (DepEd), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) under a single coordinating commission.
Designed as a parliamentary-style body, EDCOM III will not dilute the independence of the three agencies. Instead, it will allow their heads to work closely with lawmakers, local governments, and education stakeholders to ensure better alignment, from policy design down to implementation.
The Commission will be co-chaired by four lawmakers, namely the chairs of the Senate and House committees on Basic Education, Arts, and Culture, and on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education.
It will also include an Advisory Support Council (ASC) composed of representatives from the academe, business sector, parents’ associations, LGUs, and civil society groups.
Among EDCOM III’s key priorities are tackling the learning crisis, reducing dropout rates, improving digital infrastructure, and addressing persistent issues such as stunting and workforce mismatch.
The bill also proposes using tools like artificial intelligence to modernize education and make it more responsive to industry needs.
Complementary to Cabinet Cluster for Education
EDCOM III is designed to work alongside another major reform: the Education Cabinet Cluster, also proposed by Cayetano and already approved in principle by the President.
The Cabinet Cluster brings together executive agencies involved in education and labor to improve inter-agency coordination and ensure smoother implementation of programs.
EDCOM III, by contrast, focuses on long-term planning, policy development, and stronger oversight from Congress. It is also meant to be permanent, unlike bodies created through Presidential orders.
Cayetano first filed the bill in the 19th Congress as co-chair of EDCOM II, which had flagged the disjointed implementation of programs across DepEd, CHED, and TESDA as a factor in the country’s education woes.
He emphasized the need for a common vision for education and close coordination between Congress and executive agencies to make it a reality.
“The urgency of this reform cannot be overstated,” he said.
“If we are to produce a globally competitive workforce and make education the true driver of national development, we need decisive, coordinated action,” he continued.
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Senator Pia Cayetano, and Senator Joel Villanueva, who serves as a commissioner of EDCOM II, co-authored the bill.
In his explanatory note, Cayetano also anchored the bill on a biblical principle from Galatians 6:7: “Kung ano ang itinanim, siyang aanihin.”
“By laying the groundwork for a truly cohesive and responsive education system, we aim to transform the nation by building the right foundations,” he said.
