Manila: Senator Sherwin Gatchalian announced on Wednesday that the Department of Education's (DepEd) School Electrification Program is set to receive an additional PHP500 million. This funding boost aims to enhance the provision of electricity to unenergized or off-grid schools and upgrade the electrical systems of on-grid schools. According to Philippines News Agency, the Senate Committee on Finance has approved Gatchalian's proposal to increase the program's budget, which was initially set at PHP1.295 billion in the Senate's committee report on the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for Fiscal Year 2025 (House Bill 10800). Gatchalian expressed his gratitude to the committee for recognizing the importance of addressing the issue of schools still without electricity. Despite neighboring countries in East Asia and Southeast Asia achieving universal access to electricity, the Philippines continues to face challenges in completing the electrification of its schools. Data from DepEd, cited in a 2024 research pa per by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, revealed that as of 2020, 1,562 schools remained without electricity. Additionally, 39,335 schools required upgrades to their existing electrical connections. Research by the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies highlighted the impact of electrification on academic performance. Energized elementary schools showed a 12 percent improvement on the National Achievement Test (NAT) compared to their unenergized counterparts, while secondary schools with electricity performed 10 percent better. Senator Gatchalian emphasized the necessity of ensuring that all schools have access to electricity before advancing the use of technology in education. He underscored the importance of providing quality facilities to support students' educational needs.