Marcos approves PHP700M for child dev’t centers

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved PHP700 million in funding on Tuesday for child development centers (CDCs) in fourth and fifth-class municipalities across the Philippines.

Early childhood development advocates requested this amount over three years to provide low-income barangays with access to early childhood development projects, addressing a critical need highlighted by data showing that 5,800 barangays still lack CDCs despite a 1990 law requiring each barangay to have one.

During a sectoral meeting at Malacañang, Marcos emphasized the importance of establishing CDCs and noted that daycare centers can be repurposed as such facilities.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara highlighted that setting up CDCs is an affordable investment in education, noting its critical role in improving educational outcomes by reducing dropout rates and boosting completion rates.

The PHP700 million will be coursed through the Local Government Support Fund (LGSF) with the Department of Budget and Management committed to fund the establishment of CDCs for this year.

EDCOM 2 plans to collaborate with various agencies, including CHED and DILG, to boost the number of early childhood education graduates in regions where there is a shortage.