PASAY CITY — Failed biddings driven by rising fuel prices and low cost estimates have slowed down the construction of public school classrooms under the 2026 infrastructure budget, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) reported on Friday.
During a Senate Committee on Finance hearing on the Department of Education’s (DepEd) proposed 2027 budget, Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara revealed that 6,000 target classrooms funded with ₱21.45 billion remain stuck in the procurement stage.
Public Works Undersecretary Lara Esquibil explained that contractors have shied away from bidding due to inadequate cost allocations and spikes in fuel expenses.
“We’ve been encountering failure of biddings… We’ve been encountering quite a few failures in bidding; they’ve been concerned with the costing of classrooms with fuel price increases,” Esquibil said.
To counter the delays, Esquibil noted that the agency is restructuring projects to make them more appealing to contractors by cutting down logistical expenses and grouping them by strategic locations.
“But we are repackaging it to be more attractive to prospective bidders. Repackage it in order to minimize mobilization…. More strategic location,” she added.
Data from the DPWH show that out of the 2026 allocation, ₱7 billion worth of projects—representing roughly 2,000 classrooms—has been advertised. Projects totaling ₱1.87 billion, covering 533 classrooms, are currently undergoing post-qualification or are nearing contract awards.
The sluggish procurement drew sharp criticism from Senator Bam Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, who questioned why only 8% of the funds have been successfully bid out with only a few months left in the year.
He suggested reallocating the remaining untransferred ₱13 billion to faster-moving implementing entities.
“Considering na October na… 8% pa lang yung napapa-bid out ninyo, 92% pa ‘yan, doon natin siya ilagay sa kabayong tumatakbo, ‘wag na doon sa kabayong hindi gumagalaw. That’s my take,” Aquino proposed.
The DPWH is one of several bodies tasked with delivering an overall target of 18,950 new classrooms for 2026 under a ₱65.4 billion infrastructure allocation. Other implementing frameworks include local government unit-led constructions, DepEd Learning Continuity Spaces, Last Mile Schools, and direct DepEd acquisitions.