Marcos: LGUs now in charge of procurement, actual construction of schools

President Ferdinand ''Bongbong'' Marcos Jr. said Wednesday that local government units would be at the forefront in the construction of classrooms. 

Marcos graced the signing of the memorandum of agreement between the Department of Education (DepEd) and various provinces for a nationwide classroom building at the Heroes Hall in  Malacañang Palace. 

''We are changing the system because the process that we have now is much too slow. With this initiative, we can take a big bite out of that gap. And under this partnership, the DepEd will set the technical standards, provide designs, and supply the funding for these classrooms,'' Marcos said. 

''On the other hand, the LGUs will take the lead in their procurement and actual construction,'' the President added. 

According to Marcos, the classroom shortage as of December 2025 amounted to 145,000 units.

''How we have allowed this to become such a bad, bad situation? I cannot – I cannot understand,'' he said. 

Marcos said the administration has been finding all kinds of alternative ways to immediately close this ''yawning gap.''

''Because we cannot wait another five or 10 years to ensure that every student has a comfortable classroom. So, we have initiated this partnership with the local government units. That is one of our strategies,'' he said.

Marcos is confident that the construction of these school facilities by LGUs would not result in ghost and substandard projects.

''Ang sabi ko, hindi uubra ‘yan pagka sa LGU. Hindi uubra ‘yan dahil ang tao mismo ang kaharap ninyo. Pagka hindi maganda ang gawin ninyong trabaho, sisitahin kayo. Araw-araw kayong – gabi-gabi kayong kakatukin sa bahay ninyo. [applause] Sasabihin, “Ayusin ninyo ‘yung problema,'' the President said. 

(LGUs won't allow that because what's in front of them are the residents. They will be blamed if their projects were not good. They will knock on your doors and tell you to fix the problem.) 

Under the deal, local government units will carry out the construction, rehabilitation and improvement of classrooms within their jurisdictions, including procurement and on-site implementation, in accordance with national standards.  

The DepEd, meanwhile, will identify priority schools, issue standard classroom designs and technical specifications, and oversee the process through plan review, validation of completed works, and compliance checks on safety, accessibility and quality standards.

“These signatures mark the end of working in silos. They mark the beginning of shared responsibility," said DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara.

Angara also noted that the partnership complements existing national school building programs and leverages local implementation capacity to speed up delivery while maintaining national standards.

Both DepEd and LGUs will share responsibilities for funding, monitoring, and long-term maintenance, supported by regular financial and physical accomplishment reports, key performance indicators, and public disclosure measures to ensure transparency, accountability and timely project completion. 

Marcos committed that his administration would prioritize education until the end of his term.

''And that is why, I have pledged for the remainder of this administration, we will prioritize – first priority will be education,'' he said.—with reports from Sherylin Untalan/ AOL/ VAL, GMA Integrated News