Marcos orders catch-up plan for classroom construction

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed government agencies to implement a “catch-up plan” aimed at fast-tracking classroom construction nationwide, following reports that only 22 out of the 1,700 classrooms targeted for completion this year have been finished.

In a Palace press briefing on Friday, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the President has called for the immediate resolution of construction delays to ensure agencies meet their targets.

"Inuutos na po ito ng Pangulo na agarang matugunan ang kakulangan sa classrooms,” Castro said, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the country’s education infrastructure gap.

("The President has ordered that the shortage of classrooms be addressed immediately.")

To accelerate the construction of school buildings, local government units (LGUs) will be tapped to assist, she added. Castro also highlighted that Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Vince Dizon has been instructed to investigate the causes of the delays and ensure accountability.

"Titingnan rin ni Secretary Vince kung bakit nagkaroon ng delay sa pagpapagawa ng mga classrooms. So, kung mayroon pong dapat managot dito bakit napabayaan dito, asahan natin na may mananagot,” Castro said.

("Secretary Vince will also look into why there were delays in the construction of classrooms. So, if there is anyone who should be held accountable for neglecting this, we can expect that there will be someone responsible.")

The slow pace of classroom completion was confirmed during the recent Senate Committee on Finance hearing on the DPWH’s budget for fiscal year 2026, where Secretary Dizon reported that only 22 classrooms out of the 1,700 targeted have been completed so far.

Senator Bam Aquino, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, earlier expressed concern over the sluggish progress.

He warned that the country currently faces a backlog of 146,000 classrooms, which could surge to 200,000 by 2028 if construction delays continue.

The President also directed the government to guarantee that students have access to proper learning facilities, tackling a persistent challenge in the Philippine education system.