MANILA – Senator Bam Aquino has called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to present clear and updated data on the country’s classroom backlog to ensure adequate funding in the 2026 national budget.

Aquino raised the issue after learning during his visit to two schools in Mabalacat, Pampanga, that some classrooms had been condemned for 10 years but were still not included in DepEd’s replacement list.

“Kung iyong 166,000 classroom gap ay talaga bang 166,000 o posibleng mas malaki pa. Kasi ang kutob namin, posibleng mas malaki pa ito,” Aquino said during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, which he chairs.

“The budget is ongoing. Sana naman tama ang mga numero natin. We’re asking you to come up with the best numbers because we have an opportunity to actually fund education in a big way this year. Kaya kailangan alam natin na tama ang numero natin,” he added.

The senator stressed that reliable data is crucial to proper allocation of funds, especially after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his intention to rechannel the PHP275-billion flood control budget to education and healthcare.

“So apart from slashing this (flood control) budget, mahalaga na mapunta ito sa tama. That’s why gusto kong intindihin kung iyong mga numero natin ay tama o hindi,” he said.

Aquino also urged DepEd to issue a clear policy on condemned classrooms, including a timeline for their replacement, to prevent double or triple shifts in public schools.

His Senate Bill No. 121, or the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, seeks to authorize local government units and non-government organizations to construct classrooms within their jurisdictions in compliance with national standards, with financial support from the national government.