Philippine Senate approves bill seeking to solve classroom shortage

The Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading the proposed Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which seeks to address the country’s classroom shortage.

The bill, which was filed by Sen. Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV, has also been included in the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) priority list as announced by Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III in November.

Under the bill, LGUs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a proven track record may build classrooms within their jurisdictions, in compliance with the Department of Education's (DepEd) standards and guidelines. This is amid projections that the backlog could reach 219,000 within the next three years if left unaddressed.

Senate Bill No. 1482 also mandates the Department of Education (DepEd) to publicly disclose all documents related to classroom construction under the CAP Act, enabling public oversight of fund utilization and promoting transparency.

Aside from helping reduce the enormous 165,000-classroom backlog, the P65-billion fund for the construction of new classrooms in the 2026 national budget is projected to create more than 100,000 fresh jobs across the country.

“Batay sa pagtayang ito, kung ang target natin ngayong taon ay makapagtayo ng 25,000 classrooms mula sa ating P65 bilyong pondo, lilikha ito ng mahigit 100,000 trabaho,” said Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

“Makikinabang dito ang mga manggagawa sa ating mga komunidad gaya ng mason, construction worker at pintor dahil magkakaroon sila ng trabaho at kita na magagamit nila sa pang-araw-araw na pangangailangan ng kanilang pamilya,” he added.

Once local government units (LGUs) enter into a memorandum of agreement (MOAs) with DepEd, they can access the budget to build classrooms.

In turn, the taxes generated by LGUs from hiring local contractors can support their social services programs for their constituents.

“Kapag kumuha tayo ng local contractor, magbabayad sila ng buwis sa lokal na pamahalaan at kikita rin ang ating maliliit na negosyo mula sa kailangang supply sa pagtatayo ng classroom,” he added.

The classroom construction initiative also responds directly to Filipinos’ most pressing concern – workers’ wages and salaries – as reflected in the Tugon ng Masa fourth quarter 2025 survey conducted by OCTA Research.

The survey found that 45 percent of respondents identified improving or increasing wages and salaries as their top priority, underscoring the significance of programs that generate jobs and provide stable income for Filipino workers.

Under the 2026 national budget, DepEd is given wide flexibility when it comes to the modalities for classroom construction, including partnerships with local government units, civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations with proven track records.

-Paraluman News