09/04/2026
𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐍𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒 (𝐍𝐔𝐒𝐏) – 𝐃𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫
𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐍𝐨. 𝟏𝟏𝟕, 𝐬. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭—𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
Amid escalating global tensions driven by U.S. imperialist aggression against Iran, the Filipino people are once again forced to bear the economic consequences—rising oil prices, soaring costs of basic goods, and deepening socioeconomic instability. In times of crisis, the state’s responsibility to protect and uphold the people’s welfare becomes even more urgent, especially in ensuring accessible and quality education.
Yet instead of addressing these urgent realities, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), through Memorandum from the Office of the Chairperson No. 117, s. 2026, has chosen to advance a deeply flawed and exclusionary policy: the authorization of 100% online learning in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧—𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫.
CHED’s push for full online learning blatantly disregards the material conditions of millions of Filipino students. As emphasized by Chairperson Prospero De Vera III, education should be grounded in service to the people. But there is no service in a system that systematically excludes. There is no accessibility in a framework that assumes universal access to technology where none exists.
The lessons of the pandemic are clear and damning. Only an estimated 30% of the population has reliable access to the devices and stable internet required for effective online learning. This means that the majority of students—especially those from working-class and marginalized backgrounds—are immediately placed at a structural disadvantage. For them, “flexibility” is nothing more than forced abandonment.
Empirical evidence further exposes the failure of distance learning. In the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), enrollment dropped by as much as 41%. Surveys revealed that 86% of students under modular learning and 66% in online setups reported significantly lower learning outcomes compared to face-to-face classes. These are not isolated figures—they are symptoms of a systemic breakdown.
Nationally, the crisis is even more severe. Over 4 million students dropped out of basic education during the pandemic period, with higher education facing increased risks of attrition and prolonged disengagement. What CHED labels as “adaptability” is, in reality, a coercive adjustment to a fundamentally unequal system.
The findings of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) reinforce this reality. The commission has identified deep structural deficiencies in the Philippine education system—from chronic underfunding and inadequate infrastructure to poor learning outcomes. In this context, the expansion of 100% online learning does not resolve these issues; it intensifies them. It widens the digital divide, entrenches inequality, and undermines the already fragile state of public education.
𝐓𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠—𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬.
Education, especially in a developing country like the Philippines, cannot be divorced from material realities. It cannot rely on privatized access to technology or shift the burden of systemic failure onto students and their families. To do so is to abdicate the state’s responsibility and commodify a fundamental right.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
The government must prioritize concrete, people-centered solutions: regulating oil prices and mitigating inflationary pressures, freezing tuition increases, expanding public investment in educational infrastructure, and ensuring safe, accessible, and quality face-to-face classes. These are not idealistic demands—they are necessary conditions for equitable education.
𝐈𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 “𝐚𝐝𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭.” 𝐀𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭.
𝐑𝐞𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝟏𝟎𝟎% 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠! 𝐏𝐮𝐬𝐡 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐍𝐒𝐌𝐎 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧!
Education must not be reduced to a matter of convenience or cost-efficiency. It is a right, a public good, and a critical instrument for national development. Any policy that undermines its accessibility and quality is a direct attack on the Filipino people.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫: 𝐮𝐩𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭, 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞-𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝—𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐬.
