Palace vows swift repair, completion of over 1K unfinished classrooms

Malacañang on Wednesday pledged to expedite the repair and completion of more than 1,000 unfinished and unusable classrooms across the country, following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to resolve stalled infrastructure projects and investigate possible corruption.

The move comes after the Department of Education (DepEd) reported that over 1,000 classrooms handed over by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were found to be unusable—either due to being incomplete or built substandard—despite being funded by taxpayer money.

In a press briefing, Presidential Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Atty. Claire Castro said Marcos had issued clear instructions to fast-track the rehabilitation of the affected classrooms so they could immediately serve Filipino students and communities.

“Kung ano po ang maaaring mapakinabangan at kailangang ayusin, dapat po itong tapusin at ayusin sa pinakamabilis na panahon para magamit agad. Dahil sayang po ang perang inilaan dito (Any facility that can be salvaged and repaired must be fixed and completed as soon as possible, so it can be used immediately. Otherwise, the public funds spent on these projects would be wasted),” Castro said.

“Kung kinakailangan pong kumpunihin, dapat makumpuni nang agaran (If repairs are necessary, they must be carried out promptly),” she added.

Castro also conveyed the administration’s deep frustration over the discovery of the defective and unfinished classrooms, emphasizing that such outcomes betray the intended purpose of public infrastructure.