With the department actively strengthening its important role in the long-term competitiveness and innovation goals of the country.
Last December 2, the Secretary of Department of Education (DepEd), Sonny Angara, emphasized the crucial role of the basic education sector in helping achieve the country’s industrialization efforts through the Tatak Pinoy program.
For the Education chief, the goal of the program to train creative, more skilled workforce starts inside the classroom.
“Education is the foundation of Tatak Pinoy. If we want Filipino industries to compete globally, we must prepare learners with strong fundamentals, modern skills, and exposure to high-value sectors,” said Angara, who also served as the sponsor of R.A. 11981 (Tatak Pinoy Law) when he was still a senator.
Under the current leadership, DepEd hastened the reforms aligned with the agenda of Tatak Pinoy, which include the partnership of DepEd with the Philippine Board of Investments (BOI) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), as well as the Kids for the Future of Philippine Industrialization (K4F-PH) program.
Through which, students will be exposed to high-growth industries like IT, semiconductors, electronics, and creative economy.
Moreover, DTI has also teamed up for the registration process of Domestic Bidders Registry (DoBid) and the use of newly-launched geo-mapping initiativeng of the BOI, which maps industries near schools to better align policies and programs in education and the working sector.
In addition, DepEd has also begun to implement in its procurement processes the principles under Tatak Pinoy.
DepEd prioritizes arts and trade schools, as well as tech-voc institutions with capacity to produce school desks, furniture, and other school equipment. The agency also allocated funding for school furniture for cooperatives from different parts of the country.
For the School-Based Feeding Program, the department continues to get milk from local farmers, while manufactured nutritional food packs come from those certified by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI).
DepEd is also looking to strengthen other pillars of the law, such as improving school infrastructure, expanding digital access, and the development of its STEAM and AI programs.
Also, the agency is pushing for stronger domestic preference for quality Filipino products for the procurement of textbooks, furniture, and digital tools.
In the next few months, DepEd is eyeing the creation of regional Tatak Pinoy hubs, expansion of school-based fabrication labs and innovation spaces, furthering TVL–industry alignment, enhancing the teacher upskilling activities, and the national skills mapping using the data systems of DepEd.
“These efforts ensure that DepEd becomes a true engine of Tatak Pinoy — developing the next generation of Filipino talent who will drive a more competitive and future-ready economy,” added Angara.