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 News program Special on Saturday on August 1, as part of the DZRH SONA 2026 Series featuring the Department of Education.
The education undersecretary confirmed that the Philippines had crossed the 4% GDP threshold, adding that DepEd’s budget now also accounts for approximately 15% of the national budget—consistent with the constitutional mandate that education receive the highest budget priority.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the Philippines had previously been spending only 2 to 3% of GDP on education, well below the UNESCO-recommended minimum, for many years.
He said the crossing of the 4% threshold is significant not just as a number but as a signal that the government has begun to treat education as a genuine national investment rather than a line item.
Angara said the UNESCO benchmark exists because education spending below 4% of GDP is associated with learning deficits, infrastructure gaps, and teacher attrition—all problems the Philippines has been grappling with for decades.
The DepEd budget of ₱1.012 trillion represents the first time in the department’s history that education spending has exceeded ₱1 trillion, combining the GDP milestone with an absolute budget record in a single fiscal year.
Angara said sustaining the 4% GDP threshold beyond the Marcos administration is critical, citing the Education Commission’s recommendation that reforms must be maintained for at least a decade to take real root in Philippine education.
