The bicameral conference committee on Monday approved the consolidated version of the Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) Act.
The measure combines House Bill 10142 and Senate Bill 2575, aiming to improve early childhood education in the Philippines.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, Second Congressional Commission on Education’s (EDCOM 2) Co-Chairperson and co-author of the measure’s Senate version, said it is crucial for laying a strong foundation for the education of young learners.
“By strengthening programs on health, nutrition, and early childhood education, we can ensure that future generations of Filipino children will have a stronger foundation for a brighter future,” Gatchalian said.
“The EDCOM 2 report revealed that many Filipino children younger than five years old are at a severe nutritional disadvantage and do not have access to ECCD programs,” he added.
Rep. Roman Romulo, co-author of the counterpart House bill, called on local governments to take the lead in implementing ECCD programs, especially for marginalized communities.
“Our goal is to ensure that every Filipino child receives the best start in life through accessible, high-quality care, nutrition, and education. With such concerning statistics about our young children’s health, it’s clear that strengthening our early childhood care and development programs is more urgent than ever,” Romulo said.
The legislation mandates a standardized ECCD system that incorporates child development principles across the country.
Meanwhile, a unified information system would be created to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of these programs nationwide.
The bill was co-authored by EDCOM 2 Commissioners Sen. Joel Villanueva, Sen. Loren Legarda, and Rep. Mark Go. It will now be sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his signature into law.