It is part of the moves to address the longstanding shortage in the country.
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara announced that 14 provinces can now begin procurement proccess for the classroom construction projects led by the local government units (LGUs).
It commenced following the official signing of supplemental Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) under the Classroom Building Program of the department.
Under the supplemental MOA, LGUs will serve as procuring entities or managers of bidding and construction and are responsible for handling the funds and complying with procurement laws. LGUs are required to open a separate trust account for transparency and submit monthly and quarterly financial reports.
Despite the decentralized implementation, DepEd will remain as the technical authority that will oversee the design and conduct inspections to ensure that the buildings comply with national standards.
Qualified provinces include Ifugao, Mt. Province, Abra, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Quezon, Sorsogon, Oriental Mindoro, Samar, Biliran, Southern Leyte, Siquijor, Dinagat Island and Misamis Oriental.
“Sa pamamagitan ng paggamit ng lokal na kapasidad at kaalaman, mas mabilis nating magagawa ang mga silid-aralan na kailangang-kailangan ng ating mga guro at mag-aaral,” said the education chief.
In line with this, DepEd conducted two online technical workshops with LGUs to share programs of work, detailed engineering and architectural designs, procurement timelines, and sample bidding documents to ensure a smooth transition.
Other LGUs and schools division offices have also begun conducting market scoping and validation of potential classroom sites to ensure the viability of the project.
Meanwhile, the additional 37 supplemental MOAs are set to be signed in the coming weeks, with DepEd looking to complete the agreements for all remaining provinces and cities in the next round.
This large-scale project is based on the 2026 General Appropriations Act, which has allowed DepEd to collaborate with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), LGUs, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Corps of Engineers, and the private sector to address the shortage of classrooms—which stands at over 160,000 in late 2025.
To further expedite the construction of classrooms, DepEd also formally ratified its partnership with DPWH through an MOA to ensure technical validation and quality of infrastructure this April.
Secretary Angara has pushed for more flexible funding downloads to LGUs to expedite the construction of classrooms and decentralize the procurement and construction management, while the DepEd retains oversight of implementation to ensure shared accountability.
Earlier this week, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. also ordered the release of PHP17.27 billion for the construction of 4,960 classrooms nationwide, including equipment such as chairs and tables.
DepEd has also opened the bidding process for the Public-Private Partnership for School Infrastructure Project Phase III (PSIP III), which targets the construction of 3,563 classrooms in 329 sites in the National Capital Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Regions I to V.