Gov’t earmarks P3 billion to strengthen public schools in remote areas

The national government has allocated P3 billion to improve access to quality basic education for children in geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas (GIDCAs), a lawmaker said on Sunday.

In a statement, House Assistant Minority Leader and Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales said the funding will bolster the Last Mile Schools Program, which aims to ensure that learners in remote and marginalized communities are not left behind in accessing public kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education.

“The sum will support the Last Mile Schools Program, which seeks to ensure that learners in remote and marginalized communities are not left behind in accessing public education,” Gonzales said, noting that at least 41 barangays in Eastern Samar are classified as GIDCAs.

Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), the P3 billion allocation will finance a comprehensive package of infrastructure, facilities, and teaching personnel for last-mile schools.

“The package includes not just structures but also internet connectivity, technical-vocational laboratories, water and sanitation facilities, and solar power systems for off-grid schools, among others,” Gonzales explained.

Decentralized school building

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. earlier ordered the decentralization of the government’s school building program, transferring the management of school construction funds to local government units (LGUs).

“We support the President’s decision to transfer school building funds to local government units,” Gonzales said.

“In hard-to-reach barangays, it is indeed more practical for municipal governments to take the lead in constructing school facilities, with support from the Philippine Army’s engineering brigades,” he added.

Gonzales, a former mayor of Guiuan, Eastern Samar, said he is familiar with the challenges faced by isolated communities, citing Homonhon Island as an example that is reachable only by a two-and-a-half-hour motorized boat ride from the mainland.

Gonzales, who serves on the House Committees on Basic Education and Appropriations, is one of the principal authors of House Bill No. 4745, or the proposed Last Mile Schools Act.

The measure seeks to institutionalize and make permanent the Last Mile Schools Program, which the Department of Education (DepEd) first launched in 2019.

The House of Representatives approved the bill on third and final reading on 13 October and transmitted it to the Senate the following day.

If enacted, the program would ensure continued government support for public schools in far-flung communities — a move Gonzales said is essential to bridging the education gap and achieving inclusive national development.