Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo on Friday urged the Department of Education (DepEd) to take urgent action to address what he called an “alarming” literacy crisis, citing data showing that about 85% of senior high school students struggle with reading comprehension.
Romulo, chair of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture and co-chair of the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), said the findings came from an assessment conducted by DepEd under its pilot implementation of the enhanced senior high school curriculum.
He warned that the figures have serious implications, as senior high school students are expected to transition to college, where independent reading is essential.
“Ang Department of Education, alam na po nila yung datos na ito galing sa kanila,” Romulo said.
“Siguro panahon na sabihin sa atin ng DepEd ano ang gagawin nila kasi sa dami ng subjects, sa dami ng competencies, eh kung yung pinaka-basic yung kulang, ay medyo kawawa rin yung bata,” he added.
Romulo called on the agency to prioritize reading comprehension, even if it means temporarily reducing the number of subjects and competencies in the curriculum.
“Kailangan marunong magbasa, naiintindihan yung binabasa niya. Pagkatapos po noon, matalino ang batang Pilipino, kaya niya mag-isa na. Pero yun ang unang hakbang po," Romulo explained.
“Dapat ang DepEd mag-desisyon na paano mareresolbahan ito at hindi ito mareresolbahan ng napakaraming subjects, napakaraming competencies," he added.
He attributed the crisis to multiple factors, including frequent curriculum changes and what he described as an overloaded curriculum with too many subjects and competencies.
“Dapat balik tayo sa basics: reading, comprehension. Pag umabot po tayo dyan at nabalik po natin yung pinaka-basic na yun, yung functional literacy na marunong magbasa at naiintindihan, ang batang Pilipino matalino.”
The lawmaker also noted that the issue has long been reflected in international and national assessments, such as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), where Filipino students have consistently ranked low in reading.
He added that concerns are also being raised by industries, some of which reportedly prefer hiring college-level applicants over senior high school graduates due to gaps in comprehension skills.
Romulo said reforms do not necessarily require new legislation, noting that DepEd has the authority to revise the curriculum.
“Hindi natin kailangan magpasa ng batas para dito sa reformang ito. Kung gugustuhin ng DepEd, kaya po nila on their own. Kasi curriculum lang po yan,” he said.
He also emphasized the need to support teachers, who are likewise burdened by the volume of subjects they are required to teach, as well as disruptions such as class suspensions and holidays.
Romulo further cautioned against overreliance on digital devices in early education, stressing the importance of traditional learning tools.
“Ang guro kailangang mag-research. Maganda naman talaga yung nare-research pag marunong mag-research.”
“Pero para sa estudyante, hindi na po tayo dapat masyadong naka-focus sa tablet o computer. Kasi ang importante, yung pen at yung paper at yung mga textbook nila,” he said.
He underscored that strengthening functional literacy — the ability to read and understand text — is critical to developing informed, capable citizens.
