President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ordered a coordinated effort among the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Education (DepEd), and local government units (LGUs) to accelerate the construction of classrooms nationwide, Malacañang said Wednesday.
Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro said the initiative follows President Marcos’ directive to provide direct funding to LGUs for the construction of classrooms, to resolve the country’s classroom shortage as quickly as possible.
“The President wants the classroom backlog addressed at the soonest possible time for the benefit of students. Slow action is not acceptable, that is his directive,” Castro said in a press briefing.
A memorandum of agreement between the DPWH, DepEd, and LGUs is being finalized to formally launch the partnership.
Under the arrangement, LGUs will handle the construction of classrooms using the funds directly downloaded to them, while the DPWH and DepEd will monitor implementation and compliance.
Government data show that 2,370 classrooms remain to be built under the program.
As of September 30, the DPWH expects to complete around 200 classrooms by December 2025, with an additional 822 targeted for completion by the second quarter of 2026. The government aims to finish building 2,000 classrooms by the third quarter of next year.
President Marcos believes that establishing well-built and sustainable classrooms is essential to the foundation of learning, knowledge, and excellence among Filipino students, Castro added.
The President’s order comes following a revelation at the recent budget hearing of the DPWH in the Senate that the government has only finished 22 classrooms for 2025.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara linked the slow progress in school building construction to shifting priorities within DPWH.
“It seems they got too focused on flood control projects,” Angara said. “Let the chips fall where they may, but classroom construction stopped being a priority,” he added.
