Senator Bam Aquino said on Tuesday that the country’s massive classroom shortage, if left unsolved, could take “not just years but decades—perhaps more than five presidents” to address.
Speaking at a joint Senate hearing on the worsening education crisis, Aquino, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, sounded the alarm that the classroom backlog robs not only schools of vital resources but also “the dreams of children and families who only hope to see their children graduate.”
"Yung pagwawaldas ng pera sa edukasyon, dapat walang puwang sa lipunan natin. Dahil hindi lang eskwelahan ang ninanakawan, kundi pangarap ng mga kabataan at mga pamilya na naghahangad lang na may anak silang makapagtapos,” Aquino said.
“Kapag hindi natin mahanapan ng solusyon ang backlog ng classroom, we rae not looking not just years but decades, siguro mahigit pa sa limang presidente ang lilipas bago natin mahabol ang kakulangan na ito kung hindi po natin ito mamadaliin at talagang bibigyan ng tamang pansin,” he added.
The Senate Committees on Basic Education, Finance, and Local Government convened to tackle the Department of Education’s (DepEd) reported shortage of 165,000 classrooms, although Aquino believes the actual gap is much larger.
He cited decades-old buildings still in use, classrooms damaged by floods and earthquakes, and overcrowded facilities forced to operate in double or triple shifts.
“Halimbawa may mga classrooms na tinayo noong 1960s na hindi pa nirerenovate marami din mga classrooms na ginagamit bilang evacuation centers, na mga nabaha, nalindol at ngayo’ at sira-sira na. Marami din ang classrooms na siksikan ang mga estudyante.
He also cited a report from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2), there are 5.1 million “aisle learners,” or students who are forced to sit in hallways due to a lack of chairs.
“Hindi din natin nabibilang sa kulang ang mga classrooms kung saan may double shift o triple shift ang mga estudyante. 165,000 ang kulang o hindi pa nagawa pero ilang libo pa kaya ang sira, siksikan o kailangan ng mga estudyante para sa pag-shishifting,’ he said.
Aquino flagged “bottlenecks” in the school construction process, including outdated regulations, land ownership disputes, and delayed budget releases.
He also pointed to discrepancies in construction costs, P2.5 million per classroom under DepEd versus at least P3.5 million under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)—even as only 847 classrooms were completed of construction in 2024.
The Senator also questioned the slow pace of school building with the rapid rise of private developments.
“Parang hindi naman tama na may surplus na condo sa Metro Manila o napakabilis paggawa ng casino noong panahon ng POGO, pero hanggang ngayon kulang-kulang ang classroom sa buong bansa?” Aquino said.
During the same hearing, senators also discussed two priority measures: the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which authorizes local government units (LGUs) to undertake school construction, and the E-Textbook para sa Lahat Act, which seeks to digitize learning materials for nationwide distribution.
Aquino said the CAP Act could break delays if LGUs, DepEd, and non-government organizations (NGOs) work together, citing the “Dumaguete Model” under former Mayor Felipe “Ipe” Remollo, where locally funded school buildings were built without loans and a private school was purchased to expand capacity.
“There is actually a viable and successful way to build classrooms outside of the DPWH structure, and maybe we need to support them as well,” Aquino said, expressing confidence that local initiatives can complement national efforts.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. earlier said on his 4th State of the Nation address (SONA) that he has set a target of building at least 40,000 classrooms before his term ends.
However, Aquino warned that unless inefficiencies and corruption are eliminated, the country risks falling further behind in its goal to provide safe and adequate learning spaces for every student.
