By Lane Afable, News Editor
In a bold push to address classroom shortages and uplift the quality of basic education, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has ordered the release of Php 17.27 billion to accelerate the construction of classrooms nationwide.
Acting on this directive, Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Rolando “Rolly” U. Toledo approved on 13 April 2026 the release of Php 17.27 billion to the Department of Education (DepEd).
The amount, released through a Special Allotment Release Order (SARO), will fund the construction of 4,960 classrooms nationwide, including the provision of essential school furniture and fixtures—bringing immediate relief to overcrowded schools and underserved communities.
Charged against the Php 85.40 billion Basic Education Facilities (BEF) Fund under the FY 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the release is a decisive step toward closing the country’s classroom gap and ensuring that every Filipino learner has access to a safe, conducive, and dignified learning environment.
DBM Secretary Rolly Toledo emphasized that the initiative is not merely about infrastructure, but about securing the future of the nation through education.
“Sa utos ng Pangulo, pinapabilis natin ang pagpapatayo ng mga silid-aralan dahil hindi dapat naghihintay ang pangarap ng kabataan. Hindi dapat nasisikip, napapabayaan, o napag-iiwanan ang kanilang pag-aaral,” Secretary Toledo said.
“Sa bawat silid-aralan na itinatayo natin, may batang nabibigyan ng mas maayos na kinabukasan. Hindi lang ito pader at bubong—ito ay pag-asa, pagkakataon, at unang hakbang tungo sa mas magandang buhay,” he added.
The release also reinforces the President’s Nationwide Classroom Building Program, which institutionalizes a landmark partnership between DepEd and local government units (LGUs) to accelerate the construction, rehabilitation, and repair of classrooms nationwide.
Through this whole-of-government and whole-of-nation approach, the Administration aims to ensure that no learner is left behind due to distance, poverty, and the lack of classrooms.
