MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to provide quality early childhood education as the Department of Education and the Department of Budget and Management formally signed the Joint Circular for the establishment of at least 328 Child Development Centers nationwide.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman signed the joint circular during a program held in Malacañang.

The joint circular provides clear guidelines for LGUs to establish Child Development Centers with funding support from the Local Government Support Fund – Financial Assistance to LGUs.

Only 13 pct of Filipinos aged 3 or 4 receive early child education: Gatchalian

“Our local government units will now shoulder additional costs as part of their counterpart obligation to complete the project. Sa pamamagitan ng suporta natin sa mga lokal na pamahalaan na may limitadong kakayahan na magtayo ng sarili nilang CDCs, mapapabuti natin ang edukasyon ng mahihirap nating mga kababayan,” the President said.

The move is seen to address problems on the limited access of low-income areas to early learning facilities. Marcos noted that as of March this year, some 3,800 barangays in the country have yet to have CDCs, despite a 1990 law which required every barangay to have at least one Child Development Center.

“These CDCs are venues for the implementation of Early Childhood Care and Development Center programs and services, especially the Early Learning Programs and Family Support Program. Sa mga centers na ito, maaaring makapaglaro, makapagbasa, at makapag-aral ang ating mga kabataan,” Marcos Jr. said.


“It can also be used as a resource center for developmentally appropriate learning materials and a laboratory for conducting research, data gathering, and innovations about early childhood. Sa pamamagitan ng mga CDCs, magkakaroon ng maayos na pundasyon ang ating mga anak na siya namang magpapatibay sa pundasyon ng ating bansa.”

Marcos Jr. earlier directed the DBM to prioritize and to fund the establishment of Child Development Centers or CDCs, especially in the more remote barangays of Mindanao and other low-income municipalities.   

In his speech, the President also noted government efforts “to ensure that the foundations for the full development of Filipino children are met.”

This includes the provision of the First 1,000 Days cash grant under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program to improve children's health, nutrition, and development during the first 1,000 days of life, the implementation of the Supplementary Feeding Program [and] the School-Based Feeding Program, which provide children with at least one nutritional meal daily, and the Walang Gutom Program that provides P3,000 in food credits monthly to the nation's most vulnerable families.

The President also called on LGUs to commit to ensure the success of the project.

“You must provide our childhood development teachers and workers with the support and resources that they need while encouraging our community members to take an active role in the CDCs,” he said.

Prior to the ceremonial signing, the President read a short story to select schoolchildren who were invited to Malacanang for the program.

Students' nutrition also an education concern, says advocacy group

The short story titled "Ang Limang Tuta,” written by Eugene Y. Evasco and illustrated by Almar Denso, is a story about two boys who found five puppies seeking refuge under a bridge. The story teaches children to treat animals like humans with love and kindness.