MANILA, Nov. 25 -- Senator Bam Aquino said Tuesday that the approved PHP1.38 trillion allocation for the Department of Education (DepEd) for 2026 would solve the classroom backlog and boost student nutrition.

In its version of the 2026 national budget, the Senate allotted almost PHP70 billion in additional funding for education.

Funding for classroom construction was raised from PHP13.2 billion in the National Expenditure Program (NEP) to PHP65.9 billion, a PHP52.7 billion increase.

Meanwhile, the Senate is pushing to increase the school-based feeding program budget from PHP11.7 billion to PHP28.6 billion, a jump of PHP16.9 billion.

Aquino said the Senate version of the budget builds a strong case for addressing the backlog, which nee...