Bam Aquino urges PBBM to certify classroom-building bill urgent

Malacañang should certify the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) as urgent if it wants concrete solutions to the country’s classroom backlog, Senator Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV said.

- BY HANNAH L. TORREGOZA

Aquino said it is clear that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) cannot address the problem alone, as shown by its recent revelation that only 22 out of its 1,700 target classrooms for 2025 have been completed so far.

"All of us were surprised when we learned that the DPWH was only able to build 22 classrooms this year," said Aquino, author of Senate Bill No. 121, or the CAP Act. "Our backlog is at 145,000 and higher, that's why the 22 classrooms that the DPWH was able to build aren't acceptable," said Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

While the bill has already been identified as one of the administration's priority measures in the 20th Congress, the senator said President Marcos should take the next step by certifying the bill as urgent to ensure its swift passage.

"Our call is to give the ClassroomBuilding Acceleration Program Bill to the local government units (LGUs).