The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is looking to allocate around P1.5 billion to complete six unfinished school buildings at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) main campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila.
Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said Thursday that the agency will seek funding sources to finish the projects by next year.
“PUP is really running short on classrooms. The number of students keeps increasing, and they no longer have space to accommodate them,” Dizon said.
He noted that, similar to many unfinished DPWH projects, the PUP buildings were stalled due to insufficient funding in previous years.
One of the projects is a nine-story building intended to house around 300 classrooms, but it remains unusable even after five years of construction.
“Ang masakit diyan, imbis na sa mga building ninyo mapunta, imbis na pumunta dito sa napakaraming projects all over the country na kailangan ayusin, napupunta ang pera sa eroplano ni Zaldy Co, sa apartment ni Zaldy Co sa Paris, sa mga Louis Vuitton at Hermes na bag, sa Lamborghini ni Brice Hernandez… Yung P1.5 billion, mas mahal pa yung helicopter ni Zaldy Co doon,” Dizon said.
He added that once funding is secured, all unfinished buildings in PUP could finally be completed by next year.
PUP President Manuel Muhi welcomed Dizon’s commitment, saying the university urgently needs more classrooms.
There are currently 10 unfinished infrastructure projects across PUP’s 19 campuses, six of which are located at the main campus in Sta. Mesa, Manila, where most of the university’s students are enrolled.
“In all of the lists of higher education institutions, PUP has the biggest student population. Less than 100,000-plus na ngayon kami… so kulang din talaga kami sa classroom,” Muhi said.
Muhi added that the shortage has forced some classes to be conducted partly online.
“We alternate face-to-face and online classes because of the lack of classrooms,” he said.
The PUP president also revealed that two projects were awarded to companies linked to a controversial flood control contractor.
He said an inspection conducted by the university showed that one of the buildings remains only at the foundation stage.
Dizon said that instead of launching new infrastructure projects in 2027, the DPWH will prioritize completing long-delayed ones.