THE Second Congressional Commission on Education, or Edcom 2, celebrated its first anniversary on Jan. 23, 2024 after it was formally organized and convened as mandated by Republic Act (RA) 11899. Personally, I am also celebrating my first year in Edcom 2 since joining the commission as its chief legal officer after my managing director duties with the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations, the organization widely recognized as the voice of private education in the country.

It may be recalled that Edcom 2 was convened in 2022 soon after the results of the 2018 Program for International Students Assessment came out which showed the poor performance of the Philippines. The reconvening of the education commission was also pushed even more by the growing learning crisis brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.