SEN. Bam Aquino has called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to download funds for classroom construction to local government units (LGUs) as soon as possible so they can begin building classrooms.
Aquino made the appeal on Thursday as he sought to address the huge classroom backlog. Over P65 billion under the 2026 national budget had been allotted for building 25,000 classrooms.
Aquino, chairman of the Committee on Basic Education, pushed for a higher budget for classroom construction in the 2026 national budget to address the 165,000-classroom backlog.
Under the budget, DepEd can choose the source of funds for classroom construction, including partnerships with LGUs, civil society organizations, and nongovernmental organizations with proven track records.
LGUs must enter into a memorandum of agreement with DepEd to access the budget for classroom construction.
The Senate has approved on third and final reading Aquino’s proposed Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act or SB 1482.
Under the bill, LGUs and nongovernmental organizations with a proven track record may build classrooms within their jurisdictions, based on DepEd’s standards and guidelines.
SB 1482 streamlines the classroom-building process and includes safeguards against corruption by instituting a price ceiling for classroom construction.
Aquino said aside from addressing the backlog, the construction of new classrooms can create more than 100,000 new jobs across the country.
In an earlier dialogue with local government officials, he said the construction of a classroom typically requires around four to six workers and takes around three to four months to finish.
In turn, the taxes generated by LGUs from hiring local contractors can support their social services programs for their constituents, Aquino added.