MANILA — Senator Bam Aquino on Tuesday raised concerns over the stark difference in construction costs between classrooms built by the government and those built by private organizations, questioning why government-funded projects are significantly more expensive.

“Bakit magkaibang-magkaiba iyong presyo. Paki-explain nga sa amin at sa taumbayan bakit magkaiba iyong presyo ng classroom sa gobyerno at classroom pagdating sa private sector at local government units,” Aquino said in an interview on ANC’s “Headstart.”

Aquino cited information from mayors who claimed the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) prices the construction of a single classroom at ₱2.5 million, while non-government organizations (NGOs) such as Angat Buhay, Hope Foundation, and the Chinese Chamber can construct classrooms for just a little over ₱1 million or less.

“Para gumawa ng isang classroom sa DPWH, sa kuwento sa akin ng mga mayor, P2.5 million iyong presyo. Pero bakit ang Angat Buhay ni Ma’am Leni (Robredo), Hope Foundation, at Chinese Chamber, they can do it for a little bit more than a million or less than a million pesos,” he said.

Aquino, who chairs the Senate Committee on Basic Education, said the committee will hold a hearing next week to address the country’s classroom backlog and to determine the actual cost of building a classroom.

“Once we’re able to determine what the right price is, then we can talk about how to increase the funds. Paano palalakihin iyong pondo at paano sabay-sabay tayong gagawa ng classroom para sa kabataan,” he said.

“If we’re able to bring the price down, madodoble natin iyong number of classrooms,” he added.

To help address the country’s shortage of 165,000 classrooms, Aquino has filed the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act. The proposed measure seeks to authorize capable local government units (LGUs) and private sector partners to build classrooms that meet national standards, with funding support from the national government.