PNP chief Gen. Nicolas Torre III yesterday said 37,740 policemen will be deployed to secure 45,974 public and private schools nationwide and ensure the safety and security of students returning to classes today, Monday.
Torre said the PNP has also put in place 5,079 police assistance desks nationwide to bolster police visibility near school premises, which will be manned by 10,759 cops, on top of the 10,687 police officers assigned to mobile patrols, and 16,366 to foot patrols, ensuring heightened police visibility in high-density areas and identified critical zones.
The Department of Education, meanwhile, said it’s all systems go for today’s opening of classes, with more than 27 million learners from kindergarten to senior high school expected to troop to more than 40,000 elementary and secondary schools nationwide.
“All systems go po ang lahat sa pagbubukas ng ating klase bukas, June 16,” Dennis Legaspi, Chief of the Media Relations Office of Education Secretary Sonny Angara, said yesterday.
Torre said that among the units, the Central Visayas region has the highest deployment with 7,366 cops, followed by the Bicol region with 2,962 police officers, Eastern Visayas with 2,376 cops, and the National Capital Region Police Office with 4,323 cops who will secure 1,204 learning institutions in Metro Manila.
In Mindanao, he said that the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will be safeguarded by 2,898 personnel across 657 schools.
“The safety of our students, teachers, and school staff remains our utmost priority. We want to ensure that our children return to school without fear or harm. Our police officers will be in every possible area to provide protection, guidance, and support. Oplan Balik Eskuwela (Operational Plan Back to School) is not just a deployment plan — it is our expression of commitment to nurture an environment where learning can thrive peacefully. We will continue to stand guard for the Filipino youth, rain or shine,” Torre said.
Torre said policemen also joined the Balik Eskuwela (Back to School) 2025 program by assisting in the cleaning, repair, and repainting of select classrooms and playgrounds as part of the Department of Education’s preparation for the opening of school year 2025-2026.
He warned drug pushers and organizations who attempt to recruit students to militant movements that they will be dealt with swiftly and without compromise.
He called on the public to report any suspicious activities to the nearest police stations or police assistance desks so that they can be immediately acted upon.
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said the Senate will push for more funds to the DepEd for 2026 so it can address the classroom shortage.
He said the latest data from DepEd shows there are more than 27 million students for this school year.
“Una sa lahat ini-expect natin na malaki ang enrolment ngayon, P27 million ang forecasted enrolment, so napakalaki niyan. Ganon pa rin ang problema natin dito sa mga urban areas, mga classrooms at masikip na silid aralan, yun naman ang aming tinututukan as much as possible nga this coming budget (season) ay palalakihin namin yung pondo ng pagpapagawa ng mga classroom (First of all, we are expecting a bigger number of enrollees this school year, P27 million is the forecasted enrolment, so that’s very big. The problems are still the same at urban areas — lack of classroom and the classrooms are small. So, that’s what we are focusing on. That’s why this coming budget season, we intend to pour in more funds to DepEd to the construction of classrooms),” Gatchalian said in an interview with radio dzBB yesterday
He said they will also monitor the “absorptive capacity” of the DepEd since the construction of schools often takes two to three years.
“Importante rin dito ‘yung tinatawag na absorptive capacity, dapat mabilis din ‘yung pagpapatayo ng classroom kasi dati umaabot ng dalawa o tatlong taon. Tapos na ang termino ng President at saka na lang natatapos ‘yung pagpapagawa ng classroom. Kaya isa ‘yan sa mga bagay na inaayos at tinututukan ngayon
(The absorptive capacity is also important here. The construction of classrooms should be fast because in the past, it took two or three years for classrooms to be finished. The term of a sitting President has expired before the classrooms can be finished. That’s one of the things that we are fixing and focusing on),” he added.
Gatchalian said authorities should also look out for bullies.
“Meron kaming mga caravan na gagawin, ako personal, kasi nakikita ko tumataas ang cases ng bullying. Mental health, isa rin sa mga issues ‘yan sa mga senior high school kaya meron kaming personal advocacies na gagawin in the next few months para mabigyan natin ng education, o karadagang kaalaman yung mga magulang natin kung paano harapin itong bullying at mental health (We will have caravans, because I have observed that bullying cases are increasing. That involves mental health which is one of the issues among senior high school students. That’s why I have a personal advocacy which we will be doing in the next months so we can also give additional education to parents on how they will face bullying),” he added.
27M ENROLMENT
Legaspi said the DepEd has projected this year’s enrollment to reach over 27 million.
“Kasalukuyang ine-encode pa po. Bukas nila ako bibigyan ng update (The data is still being encoded. They will give me an update tomorrow).,” Legaspi said.
He said DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara will visit schools in Taguig City, Sta. Rosa and Binan in Laguna today to personally check on the opening of classes and the concerns of learners, parents and teachers.
Earlier, Angara said that despite the onset of the rainy season, schools are ready for the opening of classes.
The DepEd earlier announced that school year 2025-2026 will begin on June 16 and end on March 31, 2026, for a total of 197 school days.
The department noted, however, that this number may change based on unforeseen events and future directives.
The coming school year marked the return to the pre-pandemic school calendar, with classes opening in June and ending in March.
Private schools have the discretion whether to adopt or not the department’s calendar for public schools.
Last week, the DepEd launched the week-long Brigada Eskwela or the National Schools Maintenance Week to prepare schools for today’s opening of classes.
PERENNIAL PROBLEMS
Learners will still confront problems that have perennially bedeviled the country’s public school systems for decades.
Angara previously acknowledged that “traditional resource challenges” such as the classroom gap will still confront learners when classes resume.
Angara said that the country’s basic education sector is facing a 165,000 classroom shortage, largely due to the growing population.
To help address the gap, Angara said the DepEd is working through the Public-Private Partnership program first started by the Aquino administration, which had previously resulted in the construction of 12,000 to 15,000 classrooms nationwide.
QC SCHOOL HIT BY FIRE
Meanwhile, a fire razed several classrooms at the San Francisco High School in Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City yesterday.
Citing reports provided by the Quezon City Schools Division, Legaspi said eight academic rooms sustained damage during the blaze, as well as 360 arm chairs, 32 orbit fans, 29 teachers’ tables and chairs, and 150 bundles of junior high school learning materials.
Several computers and personal belongings of teachers were also destroyed in the fire.
“Estimated damages are at around P3 million,” Legaspi said, adding that an investigation by the Bureau of Fire Protection is still ongoing.
“For the meantime, arrangements are being made to accommodate classes of displaced learners,” Legaspi said.
He said the DepEd, using its Quick Response Fund, will prioritize the repair of the damaged classrooms.
TRAFFIC SITUATION
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said it is ready to manage the traffic flow in the metropolis to alleviate the expected congestion on major roadways on the first day of classes.
“All units on board with the Balik Eskwela tomorrow, but there will only be a normal deployment of our personnel,” MMDA Traffic Discipline Office Director for Enforcement Victor Nunez said.
He said most of the public schools are located in the city or inner roads that are under the jurisdiction of traffic enforcers of the local government units.
“We will still assist in traffic enforcement in the premises of big schools such as Batasan, Commonwealth, Ramon Magsaysay, and several others,” he said, adding that traffic enforcement units are in direct coordination with local DepEd and school officials.
