House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal (ML) Partylist Representative Leila de Lima has introduced a bill that seeks to institutionalize a nationwide framework enabling local government units (LGUs) and the private sector to help address the Philippines’ long-standing classroom shortage.
“Nakapanlulumo at nakakagalit ang usad-pagong na pagtatayo ng mga silid-aralan sa buong bansa, habang napakarami nating mga mag-aaral ang nagsisiksikan, nagtitiis at shifting pa sa mga sira-sira o make-shift classroom, o tinuturuan pa sa ilalim ng puno,” de Lima said.
“Nasaan ang hustisya? Hanggang kailan magdudusa sa ganitong sistema ang mga bata?” she lamented.
Filed as House Bill No. 5751, or the proposed Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act, the measure fully adopts Senate Bill No. 121 previously filed by Senator Bam Aquino, one of de Lima’s long-time political allies.
“Clearly, there is a need to take a whole-of-nation approach to come up with an innovative, progressive, and comprehensive solution to the classroom backlog that remains a primary contributor to the country’s education crisis,” she said.
De Lima also called on President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to certify the measure as urgent, stressing the need for swift action to resolve what she described as a worsening education crisis.
“De-kalidad na edukasyon ang dapat nating ipagkaloob sa ating mga mag-aaral at dapat na ipamana sa susunod pang mga henerasyon, hindi kulang-kulang at substandard na mga silid-aralan na dulot ng burukrasya at korupsiyon,” she added.
Under the proposed law, the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) would be tasked to provide technical and capacity-building support to LGUs and private sector partners involved in classroom construction projects within their localities.
“The worsening education crisis in the country, exacerbated by the reality of classroom shortage and corruption in government infrastructure projects, demands swift and decisive action from all government agencies and all sectors in society,” de Lima said, adding:
“Hindi pwedeng magpatumpik-tumpik at babagal-bagal ang gobyerno sa pagtugon sa malalang problemang ito.”
Recent data from Education Secretary Sonny Angara revealed that the country currently faces a classroom backlog of about 165,000, which could take up to 55 years to address if construction continues at the current pace.
During a Senate budget hearing, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon reported that only 22 classrooms out of 1,700 targeted for 2025 had been completed so far — a figure that De Lima said underscores the urgent need for reform and cooperation beyond national agencies.