DepEd: Classrooms neglected in favor of flood projects

The Department of Public Works and Highways was too engrossed with flood control projects and did not prioritize the construction of classrooms, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said yesterday following the admission of DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon that only 22 classrooms have been completed this year.

- By BELLA CARIASO

Speaking to reporters at Malacañang, Angara lamented the slow pace of construction, saying classrooms are urgently needed to provide students with an environment conducive to learning.

“It seems they were too engrossed with flood control, to be frank about it,” Angara said on the sidelines of the awarding of the Metrobank Foundation Outstanding Filipinos.

“The ones who should be alluded to should feel alluded to, but it seemed that the building of classrooms was no longer a priority,” he added.

In a recent Senate budget hearing, Dizon reported that 822 classroom projects are ongoing while another 882 “have not yet even started,” translating to what he described as a “very deplorable” performance rate of just 15.43 percent.

DepEd chief media relations officer Dennis Legaspi said the delay in classroom construction is worrisome, noting that under current rules, the DPWH is responsible for implementing all DepEd-funded school building projects.

“DPWH’s heavy workload, late budget releases, and leadership changes have caused delays, with only 22 classrooms completed so far under the 2025 Basic Educational Facilities Fund for new construction,” he said.

He added that from July 2022 to July 2025, DepEd and DPWH were able to complete 22,092 classrooms nationwide, reducing the overall classroom backlog from about 165,443 to 146,708.

“The current delays are temporary and we remain focused on catching up,” Legaspi assured.

To speed up the process, Angara said reforms are being undertaken.

Among these reforms are changes to the system adopted in 2018 that gave the DPWH sole authority to implement all DepEd-funded school building projects, and exploring partnerships similar to those implemented under former education secretary Armin Luistro, which resulted in the construction of 14,000 classrooms.