Senator Bam Aquino has called on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify as urgent the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, a proposed measure that would allow local government units (LGUs) to help address the country’s severe classroom shortage.
DPWH lags behind classroom targets
Aquino made the appeal after Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon reported that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) had completed only 22 classrooms this year, far short of its 1,700-target, despite a national backlog of around 146,000 classrooms.
Bill seeks to decentralize classroom construction
Authored by Aquino, Senate Bill No. 121, or the CAP Act, seeks to decentralize classroom construction by empowering LGUs and qualified non-government organizations (NGOs) to build classrooms that meet the Department of Education (DepEd) standards.
Support for local initiatives
The senator emphasized that the measure complements the administration’s directive to channel education funds directly to LGUs, allowing them to fast-track the building of school facilities in their areas. Aquino stressed that the DPWH cannot solve the problem alone and that local governments should be given the capacity to act.
