- President Marcos Jr. emphasized prioritizing education as a key driver of national development at the Philippine Development Forum 2025.
- He called for government agencies to fund, plan, and implement classroom construction, repairs, and public-private partnership projects to ensure quality learning environments.
- The initiative aims to future-proof education, enhance equity and opportunity, and equip Filipino youth with skills for personal growth and national competitiveness.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday stressed the utmost imperative of putting education at the forefront of government programs, saying that genuine progress for the Filipino nation depends on the provision of access to quality education. Addressing the Philippine Development Forum (PDF) 2025 in Mandaluyong City, the president called for all government departments and agencies to put education at the core of their priorities, noting it as a foundation of national development and people's progress.
Marcos acknowledged the strides the country has made in improving its education system but stressed that significant work remains. "We have come a long way in strengthening our nation's education system, but of course, we know that we still have far to go", he said, adding that the end goal is to have a Philippines where every child, no matter the background or condition, has access to education that will prepare them for the future.". He emphasized that future-proofing education is not only crucial for personal development but also for the competitiveness and advancement of the country in the face of a fast-changing global scenario.
While delivering his speech, the president urged the principal government agencies namely, the Department of Economy, Planning, and Development (DEPDev), the Department of Budget and Management, and the Department of Finance to see to it that education-related projects are properly funded and supported. He underscored the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Department of Education (DepEd) in speeding up the planning and implementation of projects to construct and repair classrooms all over the country with a target to finish thousands of projects within 2028.
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Marcos also encouraged the DEPDev to move faster in reviewing public-private partnership bids for school buildings, stressing no child should be compelled to study in substandard facilities and that teachers should be assisted by an operational and responsive system. The Philippine Development Forum is an avenue for dialogue between the government and its development partners to promote policy and financing collaboration.
It made this year special with the theme "Bringing Together Progress for All: Services that Matter, Results that Last. The discussion centered on reconciling development strategies with the results of high-level policy reviews undertaken in 2025. It is an opportunity to tackle urgent development issues, identify new opportunities emerging on the horizon, and forge partnerships that can propel sustainable progress.
President Marcos's words during PDF 2025 capture the government's commitment to bring education to the top of national agenda priorities, considering it as an important pillar of equity, opportunity, and sustainable growth. Through the inclusion of both structural reforms and pragmatic actions to improve learning conditions, the president seeks to provide the country's youth with the learning, skills, and resources to succeed, while cementing a vision of equitable development that works for all Filipinos.
