SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Monday expressed full support for the Department of Education’s (DepEd) implementation of the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program, calling it a crucial intervention to strengthen the “foundational skills” of Filipino learners and help address the country’s learning crisis.
Romualdez, representative of the First District of Leyte, said the initiative affirms President Marcos’ vision of transforming the education sector under the Bagong Pilipinas agenda and achieving his goal of having at least one college or technical-vocational graduate in every Filipino family.
“We have long wanted to strengthen our students’ reading, writing, and science skills—not just so they can catch up in class, but to give them a solid foundation for the next grades. Through the ARAL Program, we can support our children until they become confident in their knowledge,” Romualdez said in Filipino.
“This step enacted by President Marcos is proof of the government’s care and nurturing for the future of our students as the next leaders who will support our beloved Philippines,” he added.
Romualdez assured both learners and educators that the Congress will provide the needed support to sustain the program and other reforms to enhance Philippine education system
“As legislators and representatives of the people, we fully support the President’s desire to completely change and develop the educational system. We will not stop and we will continue to make bills and allocate funds to meet the needs of students and teacher,” he stressed.
The Speaker made this pronouncements after Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara launched the ARAL Program over the weekend pursuant to Republic Act 12028, signed by President Marcos in October last year.
Under the program, learners from Kindergarten to Grade 10 will receive tutorial support in reading, mathematics, and science to help them achieve the competencies required at their respective levels.
For School Year 2025–2026, ARAL will prioritize reading (ARAL-Reading) to assist learners classified as low, emerging, or frustrated readers. The reading program will roll out in the second quarter of the school year, with eventual expansion into ARAL-Mathematics (Grades 1–10), ARAL-Science (Grades 3–10), and summer programs.
So far, DepEd has identified 6,713,352 learner-beneficiaries, to be supported by 447,537 tutors and 45,084 school heads.
Tutors will include teachers, para-teachers, pre-service teachers, and other trained individuals, all of whom will receive proper training and fair compensation. Parents and guardians will also be engaged to reinforce lessons and provide support at home.
For 2026, DepEd seeks ₱928.52 billion under the National Expenditure Program, with provisions to expand and strengthen ARAL and related initiatives.
Romualdez emphasized that the constitutional mandate to prioritize education spending remains central to Congress’ work.
“As lawmakers, we have consistently upheld education as a priority investment as mandated in the 1987 Constitution. Every peso spent on classrooms, textbooks, and supplemental learning support is an investment in the nation’s future. Through ARAL, we are not just helping our children catch up—we are building a Bagong Pilipinas where education is a treasured asset for every Filipino family,” he said.
Romualdez vowed that the House will continue to ensure that funding for ARAL and other DepEd initiatives remains adequate in the coming years to cement President Marcos’ legacy of a strengthened, reformed education system that empowers both teachers and students.
