Metro Manila, Philippines – Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced that 14 provinces across the country may now start procurement for classroom construction projects, following the official signing of supplemental Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Classroom Building Program.
The qualified provinces, namely Ifugao, Sorsogon, Mt. Province, Abra, Quezon, Samar, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Oriental Mindoro, Biliran, Dinagat Island, Misamis Oriental, Southern Leyte, and Siquijor, may now begin their respective procurement processes.
“Bahagi ito ng direktiba ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos na pabilisin ang pagpapatayo ng mga pasilidad sa edukasyon sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng kapangyarihan sa mga lokal na pamahalaan bilang katuwang sa pagpapatupad nito,” Angara said.
“Sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng lokal na kapasidad at kaalaman, mas mabilis nating magagawa ang mga silid-aralan na kailangang-kailangan ng ating mga guro at mag-aaral.”
DepEd recently held two online technical workshops with local government units (LGUs) to share programs of work, detailed engineering and architectural designs, procurement timelines, and sample bidding documents to ensure seamless transition.
An additional 37 more supplemental agreements are set to be signed in the next few weeks, with DepEd targeting the completion of agreements for all remaining provinces and cities in the next round.
In preparation for the rollout, several other LGUs and schools division offices have already undertaken market scoping and validation of potential school sites to ensure project viability.
This massive infrastructure push is anchored on the 2026 General Appropriations Act, which empowers DepEd to partner with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), LGUs, the Armed Forces of the Philippines Corps of Engineers and the private sector to accelerate the delivery of learning spaces.
Since assuming office in July 2024, Secretary Angara initiated the flexible downloading of funds to LGUs to accelerate classroom building efforts, decentralizing procurement and construction management while maintaining DepEd’s oversight in monitoring implementation to ensure shared accountability.
Earlier this week, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. ordered the release of Php17.27 billion to fund the construction of 4,960 classrooms nationwide, including essential furniture, to bring immediate relief to overcrowded schools.
Under the supplemental MOA, participating provinces and cities act as the procuring entities responsible for construction, fund management and compliance with procurement and building laws.
The agreement mandates LGUs to open and maintain separate trust accounts to ensure the transparent handling of education funds.
LGUs are further required to submit monthly and quarterly financial reports to maintain accountability throughout the construction phase.
DepEd retains its role as the technical authority, overseeing project designs and conducting validation inspections to ensure all classrooms meet national building standards and departmental specifications.
To further expedite classroom building, DepEd has formalized its partnership with the DPWH through a MOA to ensure technical validation and infrastructure quality.
DepEd has also opened the bidding for the first three contract packages of the Public-Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project Phase III (PSIP III). This phase focuses on the construction and maintenance of 3,563 classrooms across 329 project sites in regions including the National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Regions I through V.
This unified commitment between the national government and local leaders seeks to provide safer, more conducive environments for millions of Filipino learners.
This is a news release from the Department of Education
