Angara promotes PPPs to address classroom lack

MANILA, Philippines —   Education Secretary Sonny Angara underscored yesterday the crucial role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in accelerating classroom construction to address the country’s 165,000-classroom backlog.

“This administration has clearly set very clear signals that they want to work with the private sector and that they need the private sector. And I think another change that President Marcos has initiated is that we want human development and human infrastructure at the core of the PPPs, not just physical development, not just building structures,” Angara said in a speech at the ASEAN Editors and Economic Opinion Leaders Forum 2026 in Makati City.

The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to build more than 16,000 classrooms in high-need areas nationwide under the PPP for School Infrastructure Program 3 (PSIP 3), with a total project cost of P105.7 billion.

Angara said the initiative is part of the Marcos administration’s efforts to modernize school facilities and address critical learning gaps.

Under a build-lease-and-transfer scheme, private partners will finance and construct the classrooms, ensuring timely delivery and proper maintenance during the concession period, DepEd said.

Payments will be made through availability payments sourced from DepEd’s annual budget.

President Marcos earlier issued Presidential Directive PBBM-2025-1355 on Jan. 21, 2025, instructing DepEd, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development, and the PPP Center to establish a green lane for education PPPs.

Expanding access

Beyond basic education, lawmakers are also pushing to expand capacity in state universities and colleges (SUCs).

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian announced yesterday that SUCs are expected to increase enrollment capacity and build additional facilities using the P4 billion allocated for them under the 2026 national budget.

Gatchalian, chair of the Senate committee on finance, said the funding aims to address long-standing capacity constraints that have forced SUCs to turn away qualified applicants.

An analysis by the senator’s office showed that 168,493 students were denied admission due to limited capacity. –  Neil Jayson Servallos