Wazzup Pilipinas!?
Pasig City, Philippines — July 7, 2025. In a nation where budget decisions are often made behind tightly shut doors, the country’s youth just threw them wide open.
With the State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. just around the corner, more than 150 youth leaders from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao converged at Chardonnay by Astoria in Pasig City for the X-Ed Amplify National Budget Congress—a game-changing youth-led movement that didn’t just talk about the future of education, it demanded to reshape it.
In a show of resolve and data-driven advocacy, the gathering became the launchpad for the 2026 X-Ed Inclusive Education Budget Agenda and the unveiling of the X-Ed Amplify Bantay Budget Network, a first-of-its-kind nationwide watchdog platform powered by the youth to ensure accountability and inclusivity in education spending.
"Fix the Gaps. Fund the Margins."
Multiply-Ed (X-Ed), a national initiative spearheaded by the Center for Youth Advocacy and Networking (CYAN) and Government Watch (G-Watch), delivered a sobering report based on grassroots monitoring across 90 public senior high schools nationwide. The findings weren’t just eye-opening—they were damning.
“Klaro ang datos. Ramdam ang kakulangan,” declared John Elsisura, National Campaign Coordinator of AmplifyEd. “Maraming paaralan ang kulang sa classrooms, upuan, textbooks, teachers, laptops, at support programs para sa mga estudyanteng nasa laylayan.”
According to Multiply-Ed’s estimates, a staggering ₱437 billion is required to close the education gaps, with ₱1.6 billion urgently needed for critical interventions in X-Ed–monitored schools.
But this isn’t a blind call for more money—it’s a call for smarter spending. The proposed budget agenda highlights alternative funding sources, realignment strategies, and optimization of idle funds—proof that the youth are not just idealists, but also technocrats-in-the-making.
“This isn’t just about figures—it’s about fairness,” said Leizl Adame, Executive Director of CYAN. “Engaging the budget may seem technical—even intimidating—but it’s one of the most powerful acts of citizenship. When we engage the budget, we engage the soul of public governance.”
A Bold Cry for Transparency: #OpenTheBicam
Perhaps the most pointed moment of the Congress came when student leaders boldly called for the opening of the bicameral budget deliberations—historically shrouded in secrecy. Their chant: #OpenTheBicam.
In response, DBM Assistant Secretary Romeo Matthew Balanquit surprised many by publicly supporting the call for greater transparency in budget deliberations. The walls are cracking—and the youth are the ones holding the crowbars.
Moreover, the students demanded the release of a detailed education allocation list to track how funds are actually spent on the ground. The call struck a nerve with ongoing frustrations over inaccessible public data and government opacity.
No More Confidential Funds in Civilian Agencies
Another lightning rod issue addressed was the controversial confidential funds previously granted to the Department of Education. The youth weren't just skeptical—they were outraged.
Asec. Balanquit assured the delegates that confidential funds will no longer be permitted in civilian agencies without a legal mandate. Reforms, he said, are already underway. It was a rare and powerful moment where citizen watchdogs and public officials stood on the same side of the fence.
An Agenda for the Margins
The AmplifyEd Budget Agenda doesn’t just call for transparency—it centers marginalized learners. The document advocates for:
Indigenous Peoples’ Education (IPEd)
Special Education (SPED)
Gender and Development (GAD) programs
Madrasah education
These are not just line items—they are lifelines for learners who have been historically sidelined by an education system that favors the center and forgets the peripheries.
“Addressing learning losses requires a strong commitment to fixing the gaps in basic education input programs and funding the margins,” Elsisura emphasized.
A Youth Movement With Teeth
What makes this youth-led congress different is not just its passion, but its precision. The students came armed with research, monitoring reports, and concrete budget proposals. They weren’t there to beg—they were there to lead.
With the launch of the X-Ed Amplify Bantay Budget Network, the youth now have an official mechanism to monitor, engage, and influence education budgeting—turning idealism into institutional power.
The Bigger Picture: #MalayangEdukasyonPH
Multiply-Ed’s ultimate vision? A resilient, inclusive, transparent, and accountable public education system—one that can survive crises, recover learning losses, and uphold the dignity of every learner, regardless of background.
And if July 7’s Congress was any indication, the youth are no longer waiting for permission to speak—they’re writing the agenda, printing the placards, and storming the boardrooms.
As President Marcos Jr. prepares for his 2025 SONA, he faces a nation of young budget warriors who aren’t just hoping for inclusive education—they’re demanding it.
Because real change doesn’t wait. It organizes. It budgets. And it begins with the brave.
Multiply-Ed (X-Ed) is a national initiative of CYAN, G-Watch, SCAP, and Bukluran UP System (BUPS), with support from Education Out Loud of the Global Partnership for Education.
AmplifyEd is the movement, the moment, and the message: The budget belongs to the people. And the youth are here to claim it.
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Ross is known as the Pambansang Blogger ng Pilipinas - An Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Professional by profession and a Social Media Evangelist by heart.
