Senate Minority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano backed the Senate approval of a bill aimed at ensuring that every Filipino has access to quality education regardless of how remote their community may be.
This follows Cayetano’s signing of Committee Report No. 43 on GIDA (Geographically Isolated and Disadvantage Areas) Schools Act (Senate Bill No. 1937) prepared and submitted by the Senate Committee on Basic Education. It promotes inclusive access for vulnerable and disadvantaged learners in secluded areas.
Cayetano has long emphasized that education is key to providing Filipinos with better opportunities and a more stable future.
“When the education system becomes number one [in the priority], talagang gaganda ang buhay ng mga Pilipino. Much more opportunities will come,” the Minority Leader said.
The proposed law ensures stronger government support for schools in remote, conflict-affected, and indigenous communities where students often face challenges such as long travel times, poor facilities, and limited learning resources.
Schools may be classified as GIDA if they lack electricity, use makeshift classrooms, hold multi-grade classes, require more than an hour of difficult travel to reach, serve many Indigenous learners, or are located in disaster-prone or conflict-affected areas.
Under the bill, the Department of Education (DepEd) shall create a National GIDA Schools Mapping System to help the government identify and prioritize these schools. The bill likewise mandates the adoption of an accessibility standard in its mapping to make sure students have a school within three kilometers of their homes or provide safe transportation options.
The measure also requires cooperation among government agencies. The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will help build access roads, the Department of Energy (DOE) will support electrification, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) will improve internet connectivity, and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) will ensure the rights of Indigenous communities are respected.
Teachers assigned to GIDA schools will receive additional benefits such as hardship pay, housing support, and priority training. Local School Boards will also be required to set aside funds for these schools, while the DepEd must submit yearly progress reports to Congress.
A longtime education reform advocate, Cayetano previously served as co-chair of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) and as Chairman of the Committee on Higher, Technical, and Vocational Education during the 19th Congress.
“Whatever we do now, that is what we will see in 2035, 2045, and 2050,” the senator said, reflecting on the long-term impact of education reforms.###
