SONA 2026
SONA 2026 Page 6 of 9
How the ‘CREATE MORE’ Law is making the Philippines a top destination for foreign capital under the Marcos administration
Republic Act No. 12066, or the “CREATE MORE” law, has expanded investment incentives to make the Philippines more competitive against regional peers including Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia in attracting foreign direct investment, with the resulting job creation keeping unemployment relatively…
Marcos administration collects record ₱501B in GOCC dividends, surpassing all previous administrations
The Marcos administration has collected ₱501 billion in dividends from government-owned and controlled corporations in just four years, surpassing the combined total of three previous administrations and setting a new record in the history of Philippine public finance, Finance Secretary Frederick…
Bureau of Customs on track for historic ₱1 trillion collection target, already ₱11.4 billion above revised goal
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) is on track to hit its historic ₱1 trillion collection target this year, with January to July collections already running ₱11.4 billion above the revised target and July alone posting a 12.5% growth rate compared to the same month last year, Customs Commissioner Ariel…
BIR breaks all-time record with over ₱3 trillion in collections — first time in Philippine history
The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) collected over ₱3 trillion in a single year for the first time in the entire history of the Philippine Republic, Finance Secretary Frederick Go said Saturday, describing the milestone as a record-breaking performance that reflects years of sustained reform in…
The Philippine economy grew twice as fast as the world under Marcos, 5.8% average GDP growth in four years: DOF
The Philippine economy grew at an average of 5.8% annually over the past four years under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., more than double the global average of 2.5% to 3%, Finance Secretary Frederick Go said Saturday. Go made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News program Special on Saturday…
‘One student, one textbook’: Marcos wants every public school student to have their own book to write on and keep
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed that every public school student must have their own personal textbook to write on and keep, just like in private schools—a policy that ends decades of shared, untouchable textbooks in Philippine public education, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said…
2.2 million students now benefit from voucher program that lets them attend private school on government funds
Some 2.2 million students are now benefiting from the Government Assistance and Subsidy for Private Education (GASTPE) program, which allows public school students to transfer to private schools with their tuition funded by the government, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Saturday. Angara…
Whole-of-nation approach: DepEd decentralizes classroom construction to LGUs and civil society for first time
The Department of Education (DepEd) is giving classroom construction funds directly to local government units, civil society organizations, and the private sector to implement for the first time in its history, ending the longstanding practice of routing all construction through the Department of…
Teaching supplies allowance jumps to ₱10,000 as Marcos administration raises all teacher benefits
The Marcos administration has raised virtually every teacher allowance and benefit to historic highs, with the most dramatic increase being the chalk or teaching allowance, which jumped ₱10,000, Teacher Mariane Luchavez confirmed Saturday. Luchavez made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News…
Under BBM admin, DepEd builds Central Kitchens in all school divisions for first time
For the first time in Philippine history, the government is building a Central Kitchen in every school division nationwide—funded under a ₱1 billion capital outlay as part of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) ₱25 billion school feeding program—with each kitchen designed to serve up to 10…
‘Ayaw ng Presidente na mapahiya tayo’: DepEd deploys ARAL program to reverse PH reading crisis
The Philippines ranked last in the world in the 2019 Programme for International Student Assessment and third from last in 2022, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to direct the Department of Education (DepEd) to restore the country’s standing as one of Asia’s top education performers…
For the first time, PH education spending exceeds 4% of GDP—meeting UNESCO’s recommended standard
The Philippines has exceeded 4% of gross domestic product in education spending for the first time, entering the 4 to 6% range recommended by UNESCO as the best practice for a developing country, Education Undersecretary Edson Byron Sy said Saturday. Sy made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH…
Teacher Mariane waited 27 years for her first promotion: Solo parent teacher’s story puts a human face on BBM’s education reform
For 27 years, Teacher Mariane Luchavez stayed at Teacher I—not because she lacked the talent or the will to advance, but because life demanded she choose between her own professional growth and the future of her three children. Luchavez, a public school teacher in Valenzuela City who has been…
DepEd budget hits ₱1.012 trillion for the first time under Marcos administration
The Department of Education (DepEd) has received a budget exceeding ₱1 trillion for the first time in its history, with Undersecretary Edson Byron Sy confirming the agency received an allocation of ₱1.012 trillion under the Marcos administration. Sy made the disclosure in an interview on DZRH News…
‘Sagrado ang teaching time’: DepEd cuts teacher paperwork by 57%, hires officers to handle non-teaching tasks
The Department of Education has reduced the administrative and reporting burden on teachers by 57%, freeing up classroom time that was previously consumed by paperwork, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said Saturday, describing protected teaching time as the sacred principle behind all of DepEd’s…