DPWH to build 6,098 classrooms

Published September 23, 2015 8:30pm

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will build 6,098 classrooms for 956 high schools nationwide, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) revealed on Wednesday.

According to the department, it has released P9.41 billion for the DPWH to increase the capacity of public high schools to accommodate the rising number of students.

The budget was charged under the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Basic Educational Facilities Fund (BEFF).

“With this release, only P61.5 million of the BEFF is still left for release pending the submission of documentary requirements by the DepEd,” the DBM said.

The public school system has shortage of 200,000classrooms and 100,000 teachers in both elementary and high school, Kabataan party-list Representative Terry Ridon said in May.

Calabarzon or Region IV-A will have the highest allocation of P2.17 billion for 1,349 classrooms, followed by the National Capital Region (NCR) with P1.29 billion for 751 classrooms, and Region VI with P1.2 billion for 835 classrooms.

The other allocations are as follows:

Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) – P167 million for 101 classrooms

CARAGA – P174 million for 123 classrooms

Region I – P312 million 189 classrooms

Region II – P58 million from 50 classrooms

Region III – P1.04 billion for 648 classrooms

Region IV-A – P2.173 billion for 1,349 classrooms

Region IV-B – P385 million for 291 classrooms

Region V – P426 million for 300 classrooms

Region VII – P167 million for 104 classrooms

Region VIII – P608 million for 437 classrooms

Region IX – P294 million for 210 classrooms

Region X – P522 million for 351 classrooms

Region XI – P282 million for 196 classrooms

Region XII – P214 million for 163 classrooms

“We’ve already closed the classroom gap based on the 2010 backlog target, and now we’re determined to build more classrooms due to the increasing number of enrollees each year,” Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said.

“We are also preparing for the proper implementation of the K-12 program next year,” he added.

Aside from the budget allocation of P9.33 billion, the releases also included P82.6 million in buffer funds for additional foundation works if needed.

According to the DBM, the DepEd received P377.7 billion this year – the highest budget among all departments and agencies – and will continue to have the largest allocation of with P435.9 billion under the 2016 proposed budget.

The national budget for 2016 is 15.4 percent or P58.2 billion higher than this year’s.

“With 99.87 percent of the BEFF already released, the national government can now focus on achieving our construction targets for the year,” Abad said.

“More important, the building of these school facilities will help us improve the quality of education to better prepare our graduates for work or higher education,” he added. – Jon Viktor Cabuenas/VS, GMA News

Tags: dpwh, dbm, classrooms, deped