A bill that will authorize local government units (LGUs) and private groups to build classrooms is being eyed as a solution to address the country’s 165,000-classroom backlog, as senators flagged the higher price of classrooms built by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
At the Senate Basic Education Committee’s first hearing in the 20th Congress, EDCOM 2 Co-Chair and committee chair Sen. Bam Aquino cited the commission’s Year Two Report showing that DepEd estimates the cost of one classroom at P2.5 million, 40% lower compared to DPWH’s P3.5 million.
In Dumaguete City, locally funded classrooms average P2.1 million, while those built through public-private partnerships cost around P1.5 million.
DPWH reported construction costs of P29,838 to P36,067 per square meter. By contrast, LGUs and private contractors have managed to build at significantly lower rates.
Several organizations presented their own cost figures. The Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry said its “Bari School” program builds for P8,000 to P10,000 per square meter, while the Angat Buhay Foundation reported completing classrooms for as low as P862,500 each.
EDCOM 2 Commissioner Sen. Loren Legarda questioned the gap. “Ano kayang ginto ang ginagamit ng DPWH na halos doble [ang construction cost]?…Sino kaya ang gumagawa sa DPWH na P36,000 [per square meter] and sino kaya ang gumagawa sa private sector na P20,000 [per square meter]? I cannot imagine, for the life of me, na almost double,” she said.
Aquino said aside from cost, speed also matters. LGU-private sector partnerships can finish classrooms in less than a year, he said, compared to years for national government-led projects.
Sen. Kiko Pangilinan echoed the same frustration: “Mas mahal na, mas mabagal pa.”
The committee also heard discussed the effects of the shortage, which forces thousands of schools into double or triple shifts and millions of students to make do with learning on the floor.
“Ayon sa EDCOM report, 5.1 million ang aisle learners, o naka-upo sa aisle ng classroom kasi wala silang silya,” Aquino said, noting that Kinder to Grade 3 students suffer the most from overcrowding as they are non-independent learners who need more hands-on guidance.
To address the deficit, Aquino is pushing Senate Bill 121 or the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which would authorize LGUs and private entities to construct classrooms with national government funding support.
EDCOM 2 Commissioner Sen. Win Gatchalian supported the measure, pointing to Valenzuela City’s “counterparting” program, where simultaneous builds by national, local and private actors allowed classrooms to be finished within a year. He suggested that poorer municipalities should be required to shoulder a smaller counterpart share.
Aquino warned that without urgent reforms, the backlog could last decades. “Siguro mahigit pa sa limang presidente ang lilipas bago natin mahabol ang kakulangan na ito,” he said.
DepEd estimates that the country could resolve the 165,000 classroom backlog in 55 years if the current pace of construction persists.
