SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian on Sunday said the Department of Education  could take direct charge of rehabilitating and reconstructing classrooms damaged by recent earthquakes in Davao Oriental, Cebu, and other affected areas, instead of relying solely on the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

Gatchalian made the statement in response to concerns over public trust in the DPWH following reports of irregularities in flood control projects.

“That’s the challenge now because many schools were damaged. I read that DepEd’s estimate for classroom repairs has already reached about ₱2.2 billion, especially in Cebu, where the damage was extensive,” Gatchalian said.

“We really need to allocate funds for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of classrooms in earthquake-hit areas,” he added.

While expressing confidence in DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon and other officials’ efforts to address long-standing issues within the agency, Gatchalian acknowledged that reforms will take time due to the department’s massive scope and responsibilities.

To ensure faster and more accountable implementation, the senator said the government is exploring mechanisms allowing agencies with their own infrastructure budgets—such as DepEd for schools and the Department of Health for hospitals—to handle their own construction projects or manage the bidding process directly.

“These agencies already have offices that oversee such projects,” Gatchalian explained. “So they can conduct the bidding and implement construction themselves. It’s an option—they can still tap DPWH if they prefer, but they also have the capacity to manage these infrastructure programs independently.”

Gatchalian stressed that empowering line agencies like DepEd to lead their own reconstruction efforts could help ensure classrooms are rebuilt quickly, efficiently, and with greater accountability to affected communities.