Angara: Classroom building strategy, allocations must be data-driven

MANILA, Philippines — Classroom construction strategy and allocations must be data-driven to be responsive to school needs and should be applied to areas facing the most severe shortages, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement on Thursday.

He said this was in line with the commitment of the Department of Education (DepEd) to equity in infrastructure and a response to a report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (Edcom 2) pointing to gaps in allocations for local government units (LGUs) with the highest estimated shortages based on initial 2026 allocations.

Under DepEd Memorandum No. 038, s. 2026, the DepEd’s classroom needs assessment and validated school-site priorities serve as the basis for identifying projects for implementation, including through strategic partnerships with qualified LGUs.

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READ: DepEd completes partnerships with provinces to ease classroom shortage

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“We share the same mission with Edcom. Through strategic partnerships with qualified LGUs, we ensure that resources go directly to where our schools and learners need them most,” Angara said.

“Our allocations for classrooms directly respond to schools with the greatest needs. Our decisions should be based on real data so that our schools will feel the impact of every peso that we set aside,” he added in Filipino.

Acknowledging Edcom 2’s commendation of the DepEd’s extraordinary efforts in mobilizing diverse routes for classroom construction, DepEd stressed that allocation decisions will continue to weigh the following:

• severity of shortages
• site readiness
• project feasibility
• implementation timelines

To speed up the construction of classrooms, DepEd is deploying a multi-pronged strategy that integrates the following:

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• construction led by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
• LGU partnerships
• Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)
• DepEd Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS)
• collaborative initiatives with both government and private sector organizations

Under the current LGU-led classroom construction initiative, allocations cover 439 LGUs, 1,955 schools, and 8,777 classrooms nationwide.

READ: Study: PH needs 7,000 classrooms yearly until 2040

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This infrastructure rollout spans 81 provincial LGUs accounting for 4,043 classrooms across 1,022 schools, 127 city LGUs covering 3,123 classrooms across 468 schools, and 231 municipal LGUs encompassing 1,611 classrooms across 465 schools.

Complementing these efforts, DepEd’s tripartite agreements with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) and 48 LGUs have so far secured 576 classrooms for construction in priority communities.

To strengthen transparency and accountability, DepEd maintains oversight through regular physical and financial progress reporting, technical validation, and monitoring protocols across division, regional, and central office levels.

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“To truly deliver for our learners, we need a transparent and evidence-based approach. It is the only way to ensure that available resources are directly translated into classrooms where they are needed the most,” Angara said. /atm