Senator Bam Aquino pushing for public-private partnerships to address classroom shortage

Senator Bam Aquino is pushing for greater use of public-private partnerships (PPPs) as a key strategy to address the country’s severe classroom shortage, alongside his proposed Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act.

With the country facing an alarming 166,000-classroom gap, Aquino said PPPs have already shown promise in the past, citing the administration of former President Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III’s PPP program that led to the construction of thousands of classrooms.

“Nakita na po natin ito noong panahon ng administrasyon ni PNoy. Doon po, kasama ni DepEd Secretary Brother Armin, nagkaroon ng PPP kung saan nakapagpatayo ng 9,000 classrooms,” Aquino said during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, which he chairs, on his Senate Resolution No. 252, titled “Private-Public Partnerships as a Key Strategy to Address Classroom Congestion.”

Aquino said the committee is seeking clarity on how the model can be improved moving forward to help address the classroom backlog.

“Gusto nating malaman kung ilang classroom ba talaga ang napagawa noong panahon na iyon na nag-carry-over sa panahon ng administrasyong Duterte. Kung ilang classrooms ba iyong nagawa ng PPP. Dahil nakikita po iyong PPP bilang isang posibleng paraan na matugunan iyong ating classroom gap,” he added.

PPP is one of the three modalities being pushed by Aquino to solve the classroom gap, with the other two involving the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government units (LGUs) in classroom construction.

According to the Department of Education (DepEd), its Public-Private Partnership School Infrastructure Project (PSIP) 1 and 2 built around 13,391 classrooms in Regions CAR, 1, 2, 3, 4A, 10, and CARAGA.

From 2026 to 2031, the DepEd said it plans to construct 106,000 classrooms under PSIP 3 to 5 as part of efforts to solve the classroom backlog. PSIP 3 is expected to deliver 16,459 classrooms, making it the largest classroom PPP in the country’s history.

Aquino stressed that regardless of the modality used, all classroom construction must adhere to three non-negotiable principles -- the right price, the right process, and the right timing.

“Hindi po matatawaran ang suporta ng private sector sa pagtugon po dito. Mahalaga na makita natin na nagagamit ang pondong ito, na nagagawa ang mga classroom sa tamang presyo, sa tamang paraan, at sa tamang panahon,” Aquino emphasized.

Noting that classroom costs in recent years have ranged from P1.5 million to P4 million, Aquino warned against unjustified disparities in pricing across different construction modalities.

“Kung gawa ito ng PPP, kung gawa ito ng DPWH, o gawa ito ng mga LGU, hindi po dapat nagkakalayo ang presyo ng classroom dahil iisa lang ang standard na ginagamit natin. At iyan po ang standard na mula rin naman sa DepEd,” Aquino said.

“Kung magkakaiba man iyan, kailangan po ng tamang eksplanasyon kung bakit magkakaiba. Pero nais nating makita, hindi naman times two ang range kung parehas naman ang ginagawa natin. Tamang presyo,” he added.

Addressing concerns about delays, Aquino acknowledged that the classroom shortage is a long-term problem that will require sustained investment over six to ten years, potentially spanning multiple administrations.

“To address the problem of classrooms, it will take more than one year, it will take more than one administration. Honestly. Ang nakikita po natin, anywhere from six to 10 years ang kinakailangan nating pagpondo nang mataas, na tuluy-tuloy para ma-address ang problema,” he emphasized.

The Senate recently approved Aquino’s CAP Act (Senate Bill No. 1482) on third and final reading via a 22-0 vote, with no negative votes and no abstentions.

The proposal allows local government units (LGUs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) with a proven track record to build classrooms within their jurisdictions, subject to compliance with DepEd’s standards and guidelines.

-Paraluman News