SEN. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino has filed a bill that would authorize local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) to build classrooms “in compliance with national standards and guidelines within their jurisdictions” to address the classroom shortage in the country.
The Department of Education said there is a backlog of some 165,000 classrooms nationwide.
Aquino said Senate Bill No. 121 or the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which he filed, will remove the task from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
“Let us bypass the DPWH by giving the funds to LGUs and NGOs that have track records in the construction of school buildings. With this, the work will be faster and priced just right,” Aquino said.
The chairman of the Committee on Basic Education visited the Lakandula Elementary School and Dr. Adelaido Bernardo High School in Mabalacat City, Pampanga over the weekend.
He said once enacted into law, SB No. 121 will address the classroom shortage and lower the cost of constructing school buildings.
Aquino earlier questioned the much higher costs incurred by the government when the DPWH constructs school buildings, adding that the average cost of a classroom is only between P1.5 million to P2 million compared to the DPWH cost of P2.5 million to P3.8 million.
“We want to see these classrooms finished in the next three to five years so we can close the classroom gap. The only way we can do this is if classrooms are constructed at the same time at the local level. If we let only one agency build them, we will not close the gap,” he added.
Aquino urged the government to place its trust in capable NGOs and committed LGUs that are determined to uplift education in their respective communities.
He also reiterated his intention to reallocate a significant portion of the flood control budget to education, pointing out that billions of pesos are being poured into areas with no history of flooding.
“I think the P275 billion for flood control projects will be lower if the budget is focused on flood-prone places. The slashed amount, which I think will reach around P100 million, can be realigned to the education sector,” he added.
