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Helen Flores - The Philippine Star
February 12, 2026 | 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines — The government has allocated P9.6 billion for the construction of around 4,000 new classrooms nationwide, President Marcos announced yesterday, as local government units (LGUs) take on the responsibility of building new learning spaces.
Marcos also gave assurance that ghost projects and substandard classrooms would have no place under the new setup.
“That would not be possible with the LGUs. That won’t work because you’re dealing with the people themselves,” the President said during the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the Department of Education (DepEd) and LGUs for the nationwide classroom construction program at Malacañang.
“If you don’t do your job well, people will call you out. They will knock on your door every day, every night and tell you to fix the problem,” the President added.
Under the agreement, DepEd will set technical standards, provide classroom designs and funding, while LGUs will take the lead in procurement and construction.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the agreement marks a decisive shift toward coordinated action in addressing the country’s classroom backlog.
“These signatures mark the end of working in silos. They mark the beginning of shared responsibility. This agreement is our clear promise that no more classrooms will be delayed due to uncertainty, and no more education will be interrupted due to lack of communication,” Angara said.
The partnership is supported by the 2026 General Appropriations Act, which allocated P85.39 billion for basic education facilities.
For the first tranche, the government has allocated P9.6 billion, of which P4.1 billion will fund the construction of about 1,200 classrooms by provincial governments, while more than P5 billion will fund the delivery of around 2,800 prefabricated classrooms by DepEd.
Instead of channeling funds through national agencies, classroom construction budgets will be directly downloaded to capable LGUs to allow faster implementation and reduce construction delays.
“By giving the LGUs a greater role in the implementation, we streamline the process. We reduce delays and move faster in building schools that our children need,” the President said.
The agreement was signed by members of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, led by Quirino Gov. Dax Cua, and the League of Provinces of the Philippines, headed by South Cotabato Gov. Jun Tamayo, along with other provincial officials, including Quezon Gov. Angelina Tan.
Underfunding
To ease congestion while permanent facilities are being built, the DepEd has rolled out a classroom leasing initiative in partnership with LGUs and private sector groups.
The program allows schools to lease additional classrooms temporarily, but critics say it exposes the government’s failure to address chronic underfunding of public education.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers said leasing raises urgent questions on cost, quality and sustainability.
ACT chairperson Ruby Bernardo said that instead of investing in permanent classrooms and adequate public facilities, the government relies on temporary, market-based solutions that treat education gaps as business opportunities.
“Privatization has long been treated as the default solution to classroom congestion. But it is precisely this dependence on private provision, rather than sustained public investment, that has produced the massive classroom backlog we are facing today,” Bernardo said.
She called for decisive expansion of publicly funded classroom construction, more teachers and fully equipped school facilities to support meaningful learning.
In a separate development, teachers and non-teaching personnel under DepEd are now entitled to a five-day wellness leave, the Civil Service Commission said. — Bella Cariaso, Michelle Zoleta
