As the school year opens with classrooms still out of reach for millions of children, lawmakers are pushing a measure designed to bring public schools directly into the country’s most isolated and conflict-affected areas.
On 13 October 2025, the House of Representatives approved on third reading House Bill No. 04745, principally authored by former Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. The bill creates a legal framework for establishing public basic education schools in Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs) and in communities affected by conflict, a long-standing gap education officials often describe as a “last-mile” challenge.
Lanao del Sur Rep. Zia Alonto Adiong, a co-author and chair of the House Committee on Suffrage and Electoral Reforms, said the proposal directly addresses the realities faced by learners in remote, disaster-prone, and post-conflict locations. “Every school opening reminds us that distance, insecurity, and damaged access roads are still keeping children out of the classroom. This measure institutionalizes the solution—by bringing schools to the communities that need them most,” Adiong said.
Data from the Department of Education show that more than 2.5 million learners live in areas officially classified as GIDAs. In upland, island, and post-conflict barangays, children often spend two to four hours walking to the nearest school, a burden closely linked to chronic absenteeism and early dropout.
The risks are not evenly shared. Save the Children Philippines reports that four in ten households in remote communities identify distance as the main reason children fall behind or stop attending school, with girls facing heightened safety concerns during long daily commutes.
Recent storms and flooding have compounded these barriers, damaging classrooms and access roads in several regions and disrupting enrollment and attendance just weeks into the academic year.
HB No. 04745 shifts policy beyond short-term pilots by requiring DepEd to identify priority GIDA and conflict-affected areas with inadequate school access; establish and staff public basic education schools in those communities; build access roads and safe pathways to last-mile schools; and secure sustained national funding for infrastructure, teachers, and maintenance.
Adiong said the approach reflects lessons from post-conflict and disaster recovery, where education services often lag behind housing and other infrastructure. “You cannot rebuild communities if children cannot get to school,” he said. “This law integrates education into long-term recovery and development planning.”
The bill has cleared the House and now awaits consideration by the Senate.
