Marcos wants direct funding for LGUs for building of classrooms

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. wants to provide the local government units with direct funding for the establishment of classrooms across the country.

Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said a memorandum of agreement among the Department of Public Works and Highways, the Department of Education, and the local government units would be crafted and inked to ensure this policy.

''Alinsunod sa hangarin ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. na mabigyan ng direct funding ang mga lokal na pamahalaan para sa pagpapatayo ng mga classrooms sa bansa, nakatakdang magkaroon ng memorandum of agreement ang DPWH, DepEd at local government units upang mapatupad ito,'' Castro said at a briefing.

(In line with the goal of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to provide direct funding for local government in order to build classrooms in the country, a memorandum of agreement is set to be signed among the DPWH, the DepEd, and the local government units so that this policy could be implemented.)

''Ang nais ng Pangulo, ang kakulangan sa classrooms ay dapat na mapunan sa lalong madaling panahon para sa kabutihan ng mga mag-aaral. Hindi puwede ang mabagal kumilos, 'yan ang direktiba ng Pangulo,'' she added.

(The President wants to immediately address the shortage in classrooms to ensure the welfare of students. Slow-paced work is not allowed, that's the directive of the President.)

The local government units will handle the funds, while the DPWH and DepEd will monitor the establishment of classrooms, Castro said.

''Ang plano rito ay ipapaubaya ang pondo sa LGU at ang pagpapatupad at pagpapagawa ng classrooms ay imomonitor ng DPWH at DepEd,'' she said.

(The plan here is that the LGUs' will be given funds and the building of classrooms will be monitored by the DPWH and the DepEd.)

A total of 2,370 classrooms need to be built under the MOA, according to Castro.

She said that as of September 30, nearly 200 classrooms will be finished by December 2025 while 822 classrooms are expected to be finished by the second quarter of next year.

On Tuesday, Education Secretary Sonny Angara accused the DPWH of focusing too much on flood control projects, after it was revealed that only 22 out of 1,000 classrooms targeted for this year have been completed.

He pointed out that the sluggish pace of classroom construction underscores the need to reform the current system, where only the DPWH is authorized to implement DepEd-funded school building projects.

For his part, Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon vowed that the agency would look for a way to fast-track the construction of classrooms, and would coordinate with the DepEd as regards the matter. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News