Manila: Senator Alan Peter Cayetano is advocating for significant structural reforms in the proposed Third Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 3) to promote enhanced coordination among the country's primary education agencies and address systemic failures.

According to Philippines News Agency, the proposal, filed under Senate Bill No. 3006, marks a departure from the framework of EDCOM 2 by granting the heads of the Department of Education, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority full commissioner status with voting rights, moving beyond their previous advisory roles.

"This change ensures that the very agencies implementing education policy are directly involved in shaping and monitoring it," Cayetano explained. Additionally, the proposal introduces four co-chairpersons selected from both chambers of Congress, specifically the chairs of the Senate and House committees on basic and higher education, to bolster legislative oversight and political backing for enduring reforms.

EDCOM 3 is tasked with not only assessing the national education agenda established by EDCOM 2 but also actively monitoring its implementation. The commission will conduct ongoing evaluations, suggest policy updates, and deliver annual progress reports to Congress.

The bill also calls for the formation of an Advisory Support Council, consisting of eight members-two each from the academe, business sector, parents' associations, and civil society involved in education-to provide independent technical insights.

"Through EDCOM 3, we want to ensure that high-level coordination and decisive policymaking become the norm-not the exception-in Philippine education," Cayetano stated. EDCOM 2 Executive Director Karol Mark Yee expressed support for the enhanced structure, emphasizing that granting DepEd, CHED, and TESDA leaders full commissioner roles will foster "shared accountability and continuity."