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Jamayka Rhose Pascual With the new school year approaching, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian has called on the Department of Education (DepEd) on May 29 to immediately implement the Academic Recovery and Accessible Learning (ARAL) Program to curb worsening learning gaps among Filipino students. Gatchalian, the principal author of RA 12028 or the ARAL Program Act, warned that further delays could worsen the learning crisis caused by years of educational disruption. “We cannot afford delays. Every learner left behind is a missed opportunity for the country’s future,” he said. Gatchalian also noted that time is running out for students still grappling with foundational skills. Citing DepEd’s estimation, he noted that around three million students nationwide continue to require academic support due to prolonged educational disruptions. Gatchalian stressed that ensuring timely implementation is crucial in helping students recover and avoid being permanently left behind. “Sa pagbabalik-eskwela nga...

Gabriel Ibis From a string of rejections to a world stage in Columbus, Ohio—students from Jose Panganiban, Camarines Norte transformed their love for mangroves into a math-powered mission to protect what once protected them. The team—Edric Magana, Jaycil Robert Sta. Rosa, Mark Niño Asis, Jireh Jhieyryl Dasco, Dominic Lyle Escoto, Frank Luigie Lopez, Jaypee Perez, Raijen Rein Mancera, and Geoff Allen Rodelas—did not simply crunch numbers: they turned to the mangroves that shielded their coastal town for generations, hoping to give back using the language they knew best: mathematics. Their model, which is the Mangrove Analytics and Prediction System, or MAPS, is a web-based tool that estimates how many mangrove saplings will survive—regardless of environmental shifts. “It helps answer, ‘Should we plant here or not?’” Magana said. In an exclusive interview with Magana and his team, they described MAPS to be “[able] to predict how many mangroves will survive based on deviations from optima...

Trisha Anne Segumban  Senator Loren Legarda reaffirmed the 2015 Manila Call to Action on Climate Change during the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) Ocean Talk forum on May 28, emphasizing the Philippines’ commitment to ocean and climate leadership ahead of the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France.  With support from the French Embassy, the Intramuros Administration, and Liter of Light, the event was held at the National Museum of Fine Arts and also served as the send-off for the Philippine delegation to UNOC3.  “The Manila Call to Action is no longer just a call but a commitment, built on decades of science, law, diplomacy, and the lived realities of our people,” Legarda declared during her keynote address. Originally launched on February 26, 2015 by Legarda, former President Benigno Aquino III, and then-French President François Hollande, the Manila Call highlighted climate solidarity and helped shape the momentum toward the Paris Agreement du...

Jea Nicole Jacot During a House Basic Education Committee hearing on May 28, an official from the Department of Education (DepEd) recommended dropping Art Appreciation, The Contemporary World, and Ethics from college general education (GE) subjects to decrease college years by one semester.   Assistant DepEd Secretary Janir Datukan stated that 24 units of general education subjects, which would equate to a full semester, could be removed from the college curriculum by aligning these with five existing core senior high school (SHS) subjects, while the three subjects would be removed entirely.  "Meron na po kaming five [subjects], 15 units na po out of 50 ang existing units ng  GE ang nasa senior high school na. Yung 15 na 'yun madadagdagan pa ng three courses, yung art appreciation, contemporary world, ethics,” Datukan said on the revised SHS curriculum. According to DepEd’s presentation, the three GE courses can already be covered in the basic education curriculum, w...

Yahya Ibrahim G. Yusop The Palace has appointed Dr. Shirley C. Agrupis as the new chairperson of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), replacing Prospero "Popoy" De Vera III. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin confirmed the appointment in a press briefing on May 29. De Vera submitted his courtesy resignation last week following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call for Cabinet officials to step down after his political party suffered significant losses in the recent midterm elections. “After almost seven years of leading the Commission on Higher Education, I respectfully accept the decision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos to end my term as Chairman,” De Vera said in a statement. De Vera’s term was originally set to end in July 2026, but he stepped down “pursuant to the instructions of the President.” President Marcos accepted his resignation and appointed Agrupis, the sixth and first woman president of Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU), where she has served since 2...

Andrie Hans Bayon To professionalize the country’s early childhood care workforce, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) approved the National Certification (NC) III for Child Development Workers (CDWs) on May 28. Senator Win Gatchalian, co-chairperson of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), said that TESDA’s NC III for CDWs has been long overdue in redressing and strengthening the early childhood care and education system of the country.  “Many of our CDWs lack the tools, training, and compensation they need. This certification is a vital step toward their professionalization,” he said.  Gatchalian reiterated that the certification will address challenges and lasting gaps in terms of its qualifications and support provided to more than 68,000 CDWs nationwide.  “Many of our CDWs lack the tools, training, and compensation they need. This certification is a vital step toward their professionalization. If we want to improve t...

Zion Mhar Kaezer Corpuz A nine-day education roadshow by the New Zealand government is set to begin in the Philippines on May 30, aiming to promote New Zealand’s higher education to Filipinos. The roadshow is set to take place in Manila, Bacolod, and Cebu from May 31 to June 7, 2025. At least 10 New Zealand education providers, including Education New Zealand Manapou ki te Ao (ENZ), are partnering with local education agents to organize the initiative. “We obviously want to expose our young Kiwi students to different cultures, different religions — students who just bring completely different perspectives to their own. Hence, we are encouraging certainly more students from here in the Philippines," Ben Burrowes, the Regional Director for Asia of ENZ, explained.  As part of the roadshow, ENZ will conduct two workshops for school counselors and two seminars for education agents, with the goal of giving students a sneak peek at New Zealand’s way of life and study opportunities.  ...

Adi Joaquim Tolentino Police Major General Nicolas Torre III, who led the arrests of former president Rodrigo Duterte and Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy, has been appointed as the new chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP). In a press briefing on May 29, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin announced that Torre will succeed General Rommel Marbil, whose extended term ends on June 7. “The turnover of command will happen June 2nd,” Bersamin said. Torre gained national and international attention after leading two high-profile operations in recent years. On March 11, he oversaw the arrest and turnover of Duterte to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over charges of crimes against humanity tied to the war on drugs. He also led the capture of Quiboloy on September 8, 2024, in Davao City over charges of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors. Bersamin declined to confirm whether these operations influenced the president’s choice but acknowle...

Alyza Mari Mendoza and Maricris Tulagan Warmest days in the Philippines can be healing — through waves of the seas and oceans, warmth of golden sunlight, and cozy clothes with beach photos!  Yet, in real life and social media, the culture  of “body shaming” sneaks in and ruins not just the summer mood but also someone's mental health and self-esteem. Body shaming degrades individuals with shameful and unnecessary remarks, leading to negative and maladaptive effects on a person's life. In a society that breeds “body standards” of closed-minded perceptions, speaking up and fighting against these is a step towards an inclusive, compassionate world.  Instead of perpetuating negativity and body shaming, all body types — regardless of size, shape, gender, or clothing used — should be recognized through a lens of positivity and body appreciation. Instances of body shaming Many instances of body shaming, such as criticisms about body size and appearance, occur in everyday life, c...

Bernadette Soriano Under institutional light, journalism forfeits process for product. Inquiry is sidelined; performance, optimized. What should endure becomes rehearsed—technically sound, intellectually hollow. What should have been a pipeline is rendered a phase: ornate, short-lived, and easily discarded. Such framing exposes the system’s failure more than the students’. Reducing journalism to a seasonal task enacts pedagogical amnesia, erasing its evolving purpose of selfhood it very holds.  Campus journalism in basic education functions less as a continuous program than as an annual performance cycle. Centered on the DSPC–RSPC–NSPC sequence, it reduces journalistic practice to contest preparation. Though officially year-round, campus papers lie dormant until season approaches. Training compresses into last-minute coaching. Students learn to replicate past winners, emphasizing format and rubric conformity over judgment or inquiry. Insight yields to formula. Moderators, often unt...

Jea Nicole Jacot Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara said on Monday, May 26, that the country currently lacks 165,443 classrooms, warning that resolving the shortage could take up to 30 years if funding remains insufficient. “We’re now at around 165,000 [classroom shortage] and growing kasi hindi na kakayanin nung current budget to meet the ano eh […] It would take us 30 years, probably, if we work with the current budget,” Angara said. The most significant classroom deficits are found in heavily populated areas, including CALABARZON (Region IV-A) and the National Capital Region (NCR). He noted that the classroom shortage is a major barrier to the students’ in-person attendance, along with other challenges such as overcrowding, lack of resources, and inadequate learning environments  “‘Yung mga kailangan talagang nasa loob ng classroom, kailangan kausap talaga ang mga teachers, ‘yun ‘yung mga Nursery, Grade 1, kindergarten dahil ‘yun palang ang natututo at kailan...

Fernan Carigma The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has approved the creation of 10,000 non-teaching positions on May 23 to be deployed across public elementary and secondary schools nationwide beginning school year 2025–2026. Senator Joel Villanueva welcomed the move, calling it a “step in the right direction” toward easing the administrative burden on public school teachers. “The hiring of 10,000 non-teaching positions is a step in the right direction for the education sector,” Villanueva said in a statement. The DBM is acting on a prior decision to create 20,000 new teaching positions, as outlined in the Department of Education (DepEd) Order No. 2, s. 2024, which mandates the removal of administrative responsibilities from teachers. This effort intends to free public school teachers from admin-related duties, allowing them to focus on education and improving student learning. Villanueva highlighted that many teachers have been burdened for a long time with non-instructional...

Jamayka Rhose R. Pascual Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. is set to file cyberlibel complaints against individuals he accused of spreading false information that “undermined” his senatorial campaign in the concluded 2025 midterm elections. Revilla stated in an interview on May 26 that he is preparing charges against five to 10 individuals allegedly responsible for posting defamatory posts about him on social media. He emphasized that the misinformation campaign harmed his public image and misled voters ahead of the polls. "Kailangan siguro mag-file talaga ng case against those people na dapat managot dito. Dahil hindi naman natin pupuwedeng lokohin ang taongbayan," Revilla said. His legal counsel, Atty. Raymond Fortun confirmed that they are coordinating with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to identify and trace those behind the online attacks. "I have been told not to disclose the names of these individuals at this time because there's a need to vet them....

Ivan Sumauang, Lexie Buencamino, and Maxinne Bolodo A name is the first story told about us, often before we’ve spoken a word. It travels ahead of our resume, follows us into classrooms, and echoes through introductions. And though we may not choose it, we carry it — often long after we’ve outgrown childhood.  From influencers debuting newborns with double-barreled, stylized names to parents tweaking traditional spellings in search of uniqueness, the baby name game has taken a bold, unconventional turn. In the Philippines, a country where linguistic creativity and cultural hybridity already gave rise to distinctive names, this shift is both amplified and complicated. But, what begins as a quest for meaning, trendiness, or individuality, doesn’t always land the way parents intend. For every thoughtfully chosen “ Blue Ivy ” or “ Tau Techno Mechanicu s,” there’s a child stumbling over introductions, students hiding behind a more simplified nickname, teachers tripping on how to pronoun...

Margie Markland Explained PH volunteer Marjuice Destinado has been selected as one of only nine campus journalists in the Philippines for the fifth cycle of the Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship. The program, led by Rappler, aims to train student reporters in public interest journalism—focusing on accountability, governance, and development reporting ahead of the 2028 national elections. Destinado is one of three campus journalists selected from the Visayas, alongside five from Luzon and one from Mindanao, chosen from over 50 applicants nationwide. In an interview with Explained PH, she shared how she initially thought her journey with Rappler was coming to an end when she applied to be a contributor at Bulatlat earlier this year. “During the interview, I told them I wouldn’t have any scheduling conflicts because my Rappler internship was supposed to end in January. I really believed my time at Rappler was coming to a close,” Destinado said. She later reflected that journalism “has a wa...

Bernadette Soriano ILOCOS NORTE — Namayani ang Region IV-A CALABARZON Heroes sa ikalawang araw ng Palarong Pambansa 2025 matapos manguna sa Likha Anyo – Individual Categories, na ginanap nitong Mayo 26. Bumulsa ng tatlong ginto ang rehiyon mula sa magagaling na pagtatanghal nina Yvonne A. Lucas (Elementary Girls Single Weapon), Jana Lorraine S. Quintilla (Secondary Girls Single Weapon), at Liomar L. Aggabao (Secondary Boys Double Weapon). Hindi naman nagpahuli si Philip Anthony A. Crisponde ng Region V (Bicol) sa Secondary Boys Single Weapon, habang bumandera si Euricka Gayle B. Tictic ng Region X (Northern Mindanao) sa Girls' Double Weapon event. Sa Elementary Boys Single Weapon, umangat si Gino E. Serrano ng Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN), habang naging double gold celebration naman para sa Region VI (Western Visayas) dahil kay Melchor G. Bataican III, na wagi sa parehong Double Weapon at Espada y Daga. Samantala, pinamalas ng Region XIII (CARAGA) ang lakas sa Elementary Girls Divisio...

John Aldrin Cullat & Ian Paolo Villacencio ILOCOS NORTE—Rising athletes from across the nation rewrote history as they displayed record-breaking performances on the third day of the 2025 Palarong Pambansa. Region VI, Region III, and NCR ran to glory Region VI-Western Visayas bet Mico Villaran sprinted to victory on the first day of athletics event, clocking 14 seconds in 110-meter hurdles, surpassing the 15-year record of 14.6 seconds set by National Capital Region (NCR) star, Patrick Unson. “Sobrang saya po kasi ‘yung pinagpaguran namin ng coach ko, bumunga lahat tapos break pa ‘yung record. Sobrang saya po,” said Villaran. The 17-year-old hurdler proved his dominance after the controversial campaign last 2024 Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City. Villaran’s campaign got spoiled due to the controversial track oval at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) that fell short of the World Athletics standard distance, resulting in the nullification of all records set in track events. On the other...

Alessandra Gwen Santos It runs in the blood. CALABARZON’s Matthew Diaz, nephew of Olympic champion Hidilyn Diaz, carved his history in a dominant fashion, securing the first gold of the secondary boys’ 48 kg division weightlifting demonstration event return at the 2025 Palarong Pambansa in Laoag, Ilocos Norte, on Monday, May 26.  Geared with the ‘Diaz’ touch, Matthew finished with strong lifts of 73 kg in Snatch and 93 kg in Clean and Jerk to make his history of his own like her aunt, who once did in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Under the guidance of coach Zaldy Mallari, the young Diaz developed both his lifting prowess and mental grit to excel in the competition. “Sobrang okay po dahil may nag-pupush po sa akin para magkaroon po ako ng lakas,” said the 14-year-old weightlifter, talking about his preparation before joining the Palaro. Coming in second, Generosmel Cortez of Region IX bagged the silver, while the National Capital Region’s(NCR) Rayney Joy Espina finished off with bronze. ...

Andrie Hans Bayon  President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has commanded all concerned government agencies to collaborate with the private sector to expedite the establishment of more public school classrooms across Ilocos Region. In a meeting with the Regional Development Council in Dagupan City on May 23, Marcos underlined the need to push public-private partnerships (PPPs) in accelerating  the construction of additional classrooms in the region.  “President Marcos said that public infrastructure and development projects can be implemented faster and at lower government costs by entering into contracts with the private sector through PPP,”  the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said in a statement.  Marcos reiterated that these kinds of arrangements should be put back in order to hasten the construction of classrooms. He also recognized the Department of Education’s (DepEd) undertakings in boosting literacy rate in the region, which is traditionally h...