Local execs back classroom-building bill

CEBU, Philippines — More than 200 city and municipal mayors across the country have expressed support for a proposed measure aimed at accelerating the construction of public school classrooms to address the country’s growing classroom shortage.

This collective stance came during a gathering of local chief executives at the Makabagong San Juan National Government Center for the “Mayor’s Dialogue on Accelerating Classroom-Building,” following the Philippine Senate’s unanimous approval on third and final reading of Senate Bill No. 1482, also known as the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act.

The measure was certified as urgent by Malacañang, allowing it to bypass the usual waiting period between readings and paving the way for its immediate transmittal.

The certification is intended to ensure the availability of funding for classroom construction under the proposed ?65-billion allocation in the 2026 national budget.

Senate records show that the bill was approved with a 22–0 vote.

The measure seeks to address the country’s classroom backlog, which stood at about 166,000 units as of late 2025 and is projected to increase to 230,000 by 2028 without major intervention.

The CAP Act was authored by Senator Bam Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

During the dialogue, Aquino said the measure aims to decentralize classroom construction by empowering local government units (LGUs) to directly plan, build, and monitor school facilities.

Aquino noted that meeting the annual target of 25,000 to 30,000 classrooms would require simultaneous construction efforts nationwide—something he said would be difficult for a single national agency to accomplish.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, president of the League of Cities of the Philippines, echoed this view, saying the participation of more than 1,600 municipalities and 149 cities could significantly speed up classroom delivery if projects are implemented in parallel.

Under the proposed LGU-led model, funds for classroom construction would be directly downloaded to local governments.

Proponents said this could reduce construction costs to an average of ?1.5 million to ?1.8 million per classroom, lower than previous estimates of around ?3.5 million, while also improving project monitoring, particularly in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

Aquino also cited the proposed 2026 national budget of ?1.34 trillion, which includes around ?66 billion earmarked for classroom construction, as a key component of the program.

He added that special provisions in the 2026 General Appropriations Act already allow LGUs to begin building even before the CAP Act is fully enacted.

The dialogue ended with the Department of Education (DepEd) committing to provide technical guidance and oversight, while participating mayors pledged to assist in identifying sites and donating land for annex schools to improve access to education, especially in far-flung communities.

Aside from addressing the classroom shortage, Aquino said the measure is also expected to generate employment, with the proposed funding projected to create more than 100,000 jobs through nationwide classroom construction. — (FREEMAN)