The House of Representatives committee on appropriations has approved funding for the construction of 25,000 new classrooms in 2026, a move seen as a major step toward addressing the country’s 165,000-classroom backlog.
The panel vice chair, Batangas 1st District Rep. Leandro Legarda Leviste made the disclosure on Thursday, stressing that the number of new classrooms could still increase should lawmakers further realign funds toward education infrastructure.
“Let’s fund classrooms instead of kickbacks, and use the savings from overpriced projects to strengthen our education sector,” Leviste said.
The Budget Amendments Review Subcommittee (BARC) meeting on Wednesday night announced that one of the most significant institutional amendments approved was the allocation of ₱63 billion for the Basic Education Facilities (BEF) program under the Department of Education (DepEd).
The subcommittee explained that the BEF’s original budget under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) was ₱28 billion. Lawmakers increased it by ₱35 billion, bringing the total allocation to ₱63 billion, which will fund the construction of around 25,000 classrooms nationwide.
Under the proposed amendments, the education sector—which includes the DepEd, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), and the Philippine Science High School System (PSHS)—will see a total increase of ₱56.64 billion.
This brings the sector’s 2026 budget to ₱1.36 trillion, or 4.36 percent of GDP—the first time it exceeds the 4-percent milestone.
Leviste urged current Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon to reinstate the policy of former Secretary Rogelio Singson, which required reducing project costs before approval.
Leviste reiterated that lowering the prices of DPWH projects by 25 percent could save the government ₱400 billion, which could then be redirected to eliminate the remaining classroom shortage.
“We call on him (Dizon) to lower prices by 25%, which we will support in Congress, so that our country can save ₱400 billion. Let’s not just lower it by 10% and leave 15%—let’s lower it by a full 25% and end kickbacks in DPWH,” he added.
