THE Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) on Thursday said that many Filipino households still lack access to children’s books, underscoring gaps in efforts to boost reading proficiency among youth.
“Sixty percent of Filipino homes do not have books for their kids [because] it is inaccessible,” EDCOM II Executive Director Karol Mark R. Yee said in a panel discussion at the Philippine Media and Information Literacy Conference 2026.
He noted that children’s books are even scarcer in rural areas, especially in Mindanao, where reading proficiency is also reportedly poor.
Children aged 0 to 4 need books with big, colored pictures. However, some parents without access to children’s books rely on book photocopies available in nearby sari-sari stores.
“You need specifically designed books at each level to help a child really progress and to stimulate thinking,” Mr. Yee said.
“There are no parents who wish harm upon their children, but how can we support parents to know exactly what they can do for their child, and how do we make it easy for them to do it,” he added.
Scholastic Philippines, Inc. Country Head Jane Rustial Tiongco-Aguirre said parents must know how age-appropriate books can help develop reading proficiency.
“I think it’s just a matter of informing the parents which books are age-appropriate for their children,” she said in mixed English and Filipino. “That’s why we have a lot of book variations.”
“There is really a certain type of book for a certain type of age, and that’s our job as publishers to know what type of book is for a certain age and what the interests of the readers are,” she added.
Parents must also act as role models to encourage reading habits, according to Philippine Association for Media and Information Literacy Ex-Officio Richelle Sy-Kho.
“You have to model, practice what you preach. If you want your kids to be readers, you have to be a reader,” she said.
EDCOM II encourages children to master foundational skills by Grade 3, as it marks a critical turning point when learning shifts from learning to read to reading to learn.
“Even if we have a good curriculum, if we don’t have the foundation among Grade 3 learners who know how to read, we are going to struggle with teaching them sophisticated competencies,” Mr. Yee said.
“If there’s a kid who doesn’t know how to read in Grade 3, all of us will be affected,” he added.
Data from the commission showed that 10% or 511,800 of about 5.13 million Grade 1 to 3 learners are struggling at the end of School Year 2025-2026.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao accounted for 23.5% of struggling readers nationwide, while Soccsksargen trailed at 17.7%.
Zamboanga Peninsula, Bicol, Davao, and Mimaropa regions followed with 14.7%, 12%, 11.7%, and 11.3%, respectively.
PROACTIVE LGUMeanwhile, stronger interventions by local government units (LGUs) must be implemented alongside existing reading initiatives, a senator said, as more than half of Filipino learners remain unable to read grade-level material independently.
In a statement on Thursday, Senate President Sherwin T. Gatchalian called for LGUs to actively mobilize and build on reading gains and combat illiteracy across the country.
“In our efforts to improve literacy and the reading proficiency of our students, local government units… play a crucial role — especially since they have a better understanding of the challenges and needs of the students within their jurisdictions,” Mr. Gatchalian said.
Proposed Senate Bill No. 628, or the National Literacy Council Act, which Mr. Gatchalian authored, mandates Local School Boards to act as de facto local literacy councils, formulating data-driven local roadmaps to combat illiteracy.
The Philippines improved its reading performance in the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment, but continued reforms will ensure all Filipino learners achieve literacy, Mr. Gatchalian said.
The Second Congressional Commission on Education in May reported that 58.9% of learners cannot read grade-level material independently, while 28.5% needed teacher support to understand texts. — Almira Louise S. Martinez with Francessca S. Abalos