Education Secretary Sonny Angara slammed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for prioritizing flood control projects instead of addressing the classroom shortage, after revealing that only 22 out of 1,000 targeted classrooms have been completed for 2025.
“Mukhang nawili sila doon sa flood control, sa totoo lang eh. Parang hindi na naging priority ’yung pagtayo ng classroom,” Angara told reporters in Malacañang on Tuesday.
Since 2018, the DPWH has been in charge of constructing DepEd-funded classrooms. But Angara said the agency’s workload and red tape have caused delays. To speed up the process, he plans to let local government units (LGUs) take part in classroom construction.
“Gusto na namin baguhin ’yung sistema… Palagay ko, mas bibilis ang proseso. Sa dami na rin ng ginagawa ng DPWH, nahirapan na rin sila,” Angara said.
According to the education secretary, the backlog under the 2025 Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF) has reached 900 classrooms, while the nationwide shortage now stands at around 150,000.
Despite the setbacks, Angara expressed confidence in newly appointed DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon and said he expects faster implementation under his watch.
To further boost classroom construction, Angara said the DepEd plans to revive public-private partnerships (PPP), a model used under former Education Secretary Brother Armin Luistro. “Doon, imbis na magpapabid ka ng isang building lamang, nagpapabid ka ng isang libong classroom. Sabay-sabay ’yun,” he said.
In a separate statement, the DepEd criticized the “unacceptable” pace of construction, saying, “Hindi katanggap-tanggap na 22 classrooms lang ang nagawa sa ilalim ng nakaraang pamunuan ng DPWH, sa kabila ng pondong ibinigay at tulong mula sa DepEd.”
The department announced that starting 2026, it will channel classroom construction funds directly to LGUs, the AFP Corps of Engineers, or private contractors instead of the DPWH.
“Nakakapanghinayang talaga dahil alam natin ’yun ang kailangan ng bayan… Kailangan natin para umunlad ’yung mga kabataan,” Angara said.
