Speech by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the Constructing our Future: Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) Signing of the DepEd and Provinces for a Nationwide Classroom Building

Thank you, Executive Secretary Ralph Recto.

[Please be seated.]

The members of the Cabinet who are here today; Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, who is the Committee Chairman for Basic Education in the Senate; Pasig City lone District Representative Roman Romulo, who is the House Committee Chairperson for Basic Education and Culture in the House; and the honorable members of the House of Representatives; of course, our provincial governors from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao; Department of Education officials, employees led by our DepEd secretary, Sonny Angara; our – the – a group to whom this all – this effort is really directed to –- our teachers, our parents, of course, our students; fellow workers in government; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen, good morning and welcome to Malacañang.

So, today, we formalized the partnership between the DepEd and the different provinces around the country and it is an effort to make sure that every Filipino student has a safe and decent classroom to learn in.

I have seen many of the struggles that our students, our teachers, and our parents face when having to send their children to school. They are studying and dreaming of a better future in poorly built facilities, cramped spaces, and sometimes no facilities at all.

As of December of last year, we have a classroom shortage that amounts to a stunning hundred and forty-five thousand units.

How we have allowed this to become such a bad, bad situation? I cannot – I cannot understand.

Dahil sa kakulangan ng silid-aralan, gumagawa tayo ng ilang shift ng pasok para sa mga estudyante. Kaya ang ibang madaling – kaya ‘yung iba madaling araw nang papasok at ‘yung iba naman, gabing-gabi na at saka – saka pa lang lalabas sa eskwela.

Nandiyan na rin ay mga mag-aaral na nagka-klase sa mga basketball court o kung minsan sa ilalim lang ng puno.

And this is the gap that we must address urgently.

It is the reason why our Admin – this Administration has been finding all kinds of alternative ways that we can immediately close this yawning gap.

Because we cannot wait another five or ten years to ensure that every student has a comfortable classroom.

So, we have initiated this partnership with the local government units. That is one of our strategies.

We are changing the system because the process that we have now is much too slow.

With this initiative, we can take a big bite out of that gap.

And under this partnership, the DepEd will set technical standards, provide designs, and supply the funding for these classrooms.

On the other hand, the LGUs will take the lead in their procurement and actual construction.

Ang kakaiba nito, ‘yang mga governor, naiintindihan nila ito. Madalas ang national government nagbibigay sa inyo ng additional function pero walang pondo.

[laughter]

Well-understood ng ating mga ano – mga provincial leaders. Ah, ito hindi. We are doing quite the opposite.

You have been given an additional function. It is a function that you have actually asked for. Pero kami ang magbababa ng pondo sa inyo.[applause]

So, ‘yung pondo ng DepEd – [applause]

Ang pondo ng DepEd para sa classroom doon sa lugar ninyo, imbis na idadaan pa sa national government, hangga’t maaari, basta’t kaya naman ng LGU… Karamihan naman ng ating probinsya ay kaka – kayang-kaya magpatayo ng classroom ay sa inyo na ida-download ang pondong ‘yan para eh nakakatiyak naman tayo ang si – [applause]

Ang sabi ko nga sa kanila, sa lahat, eh sabi ko, “Eh, papaano ‘yan baka magkaproblema ulit sa ghost project at saka sa substandard?”

Ang sabi ko, hindi uubra ‘yan pagka sa LGU. Hindi uubra ‘yan dahil ang tao mismo ang kaharap ninyo. Pagka hindi maganda ang gawin ninyong trabaho, sisitahin kayo. Araw-araw kayong – gabi-gabi kayong kakatukin sa bahay ninyo. [applause] Sasabihin, “Ayusin ninyo ‘yung problema.”

Kaya’t malakas ang loob ko na magiging – magiging maayos lahat ng ating gagawin.

So, to give – by giving the LGUs greater role in the implementation, we streamline the process. We reduce delays, and move faster in building schools that our children need.

For students, it means classrooms will be completed sooner.

For our teachers, it translates to a safer, a more conducive environment that they can teach in.

And for parents, this gives them peace of mind, knowing that their children are learning in better facilities.

Dahil talagang kung titingnan natin, tinutulungan natin ang mga teacher. Nagdagdag tayo ng guro at bi – nagdagdag para – para mabawasan ang kanilang mga administrative duty.

Nagla – marami tayong ginagawa to supply mga equipment, mga computer, mga whiteboard, kung ano-ano pa. Eh kung walang classroom, wala ring mangyayari.

Kaya’t kailangan na kailangan talaga na gawan natin ng paraan upang mapabilis ang construction ng ating mga silid-aralan.

This partnership supported of course, in the 2026 GAA. It allo – this program has been allocated 85.39 pesos – billion pesos for Basic Education Facilities. [applause]

Through this MOA, we are ensuring that these funds translate into tangible results through a strict performance-based framework.

More importantly, there will be no final turnover without a written validation from the DepEd to confirm that the project meets our standards.

Ladies and gentlemen, we must practice full transparency in implementing this MOA, or any government project for that matter.

The challenges that hound our education sector are immense. But now we have the opportunity to correct at least part of those problems to help our students learn in a better environment.

So, the first tranche of the nationwide classroom construction program, we have programmed nine billion, 9.6 billion pesos for this new program.

And of this fund, 4.1 billion pesos is allocated for our provincial governments for the construction of approximately 1,200 classrooms.

The DepEd will also procure about 2,800 prefab classrooms, with an estimated value of more than five billion pesos.

In total, the first tranche will deliver 4,000 new classrooms nationwide, which we hope will directly improve the daily learning and teaching experience.

The DepEd is also working on PP Partnership schemes to help build the classrooms that we need to bring us closer to bridging this gap.

Ngunit, upang maihanda ang ating mga mag-aaral sa hamon ng mundo, kailangan din natin pagtuunan ng pansin ang pagkakaroon ng sapat na koneksyon ng internet sa ating mga paaralan.

Sa kasalukuyan, halos tatlumpu’t apat na libong pampublikong paaralan ay may connectivity na sa internet.

Ganunpaman, mayroon pa ring mga paaralang wala ring koneksyon, at mayroon ding umaasa lamang sa mobile data.

Hangad natin makonekta ang mahigit labing-apat na libong paaralan, kabilang ang mga unserved at saka underserved schools, lalo na sa mga malalayong lugar.

Kasabay ng pagbubuti ng ating mga pasilidad at koneksyon sa internet, pinapalakas din natin ang mga learning recovery program para sa ating mag-aaral.

Sa ilalim ng ARAL Program, nakikita na natin ang pagbuti ng kakayahan sa pagbasa at pagkatuto ng mga bata, kaya pinapalawak pa natin ito.

It’s only the beginning. We will continue to provide all the support that our children need.

Mga kababayan, naniniwala ako na kapag nagtutulungan ang pambansang pamahalaan at ang lokal na pamahalaan, mas malinaw, mas mabilis, at mas ramdam ng mamamayan ang resulta, lalong-lalo na sa edukasyon.

And that is why, I have pledged that for the remainder of this Administration, we will prioritize – first priority will be education.[applause]

Let us all work together as we ensure that our children will get the education that they deserve in this age of Bagong Pilipinas.

Maraming salamat.

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

Mabuhay ang Bagong Pilipinas!

[applause]

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