Marcos Administration Vows Transparency, Accountability in New Classroom Construction Initiative
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. On Wednesday assured the public that “ghost projects” and substandard classrooms will have no place in the implementation of a newly signed agreement between the Department of Education (DepEd) and local government units (LGUs) aimed at accelerating school construction nationwide.
Speaking during a ceremonial signing at Malacañan Palace, President Marcos emphasized that local accountability will be a key factor in preventing irregularities. “I told them, ‘What if there’s a problem again with a ghost project or substandard work? That won’t happen under the LGU. It won’t work because the people are right in front of you,’” he said. “If you don’t do your job properly, you will be held accountable. Every day — you’ll be knocked on at night. They’ll tell you, ‘Fix the problem.’”
The agreement seeks to address a significant shortage of classrooms across the Philippines. As of December 2025, the nation faced a deficit of roughly 145,000 classrooms, a figure the partnership aims to dramatically reduce.
Under the new framework, DepEd funds for classroom construction in a given area will, whenever possible, be handled directly by LGUs deemed capable of managing the process. This shift is intended to streamline construction and reduce delays. LGUs will be responsible for procurement and construction, while DepEd will provide funding, technical standards, and classroom designs.
To ensure transparency and quality control, classroom turnover will require written validation from DepEd, confirming compliance with established standards. The president underscored the importance of this oversight, stating, “Because we cannot wait [for] another five or 10 years to ensure that every student has a comfortable classroom, we have initiated this partnership with the local government units. That is one of our strategies.”
The initiative is supported by the 2026 General Appropriations Act, which allocated P85.39 billion for Basic Education Facilities. The first tranche of the program will see P9.6 billion allocated, with P4.1 billion earmarked for the construction of approximately 1,200 classrooms. In total, the first phase is expected to deliver 4,000 new classrooms nationwide.
In addition to the funds allocated for LGU-led construction, more than P5 billion will be used by DepEd to provide around 2,800 prefabricated classrooms. President Marcos reiterated his commitment to education as a top priority for his administration, pledging continued support for students and schools across the country.
“It’s only the beginning. We will continue to provide all the support that our children need,” the president said. “Let us all work together as we ensure that our children will get the education that they deserve in this age of Bagong Pilipinas,” he added.
The agreement also outlines shared responsibilities for long-term maintenance, with strict monitoring, reporting, and transparency requirements to ensure the timely completion of projects and the responsible use of public funds.
