The Philippine government has signed an agreement allowing local government units to take the lead in building classrooms, decentralizing the process from the national level.
The country faces a shortage of around 165,000 classrooms, worsened by corruption in the DPWH, which completed only 22 of 1,700 planned classrooms in 2025.
Under the new arrangement, DepEd funds will be released directly to 82 provinces to accelerate construction.
President Marcos said the move will streamline the process, improve accountability, and provide safer, better learning environments for students and teachers.
The 2026 budget allocates P85.39 billion for classrooms, with P9.6 billion in the first tranche expected to build 4,000 classrooms, while other solutions like public-private partnerships are also being explored.
Source: PhilNews24 | February 12, 2026
MARCOS SAYS CLASSROOM BUILDING RESPONSIBILITIES SHIFTED TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT
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