MANILA Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has joined the growing clamor for the passage of Senator Bam Aquino’s Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act, which seeks to address the country’s classroom backlog.

In a statement, Moreno agreed that Aquino’s proposal to involve local government units in the construction of classrooms would hasten efforts to reduce the shortage of classrooms in public schools nationwide.

“Ang mga local official ay direktang pinapanagot ng mga mamamayan sa kanilang mga desisyon, aksyon o kapabayaan. Kaya naman mabilis ang kanilang pagkilos,” Moreno said.

“Tama si Sen. Bam Aquino na mas mapapabilis ang konstruksyon ng mga paaralan kung ang mga local government mismo ang katuwang ng national government dito,” he added.

More than 300 local officials—including governors, vice governors, mayors, vice mayors, councilors, board members, and other leaders—have already expressed strong backing for the passage of Senate Bill No. 121.

Among those who expressed support were League of Municipalities of the Philippines National President and Echague Mayor Inno Dy, Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, Marikina Mayor Maan Teodoro, Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Trenas, Tampakan Mayor Leonard Escobillo, Infanta, Quezon Mayor LA Ruanto, and Akbayan Party-list Reps. Chel Diokno and Perci Cendana.

They all emphasized that Aquino’s measure, once passed into law, would ensure faster implementation, stronger accountability, and greater transparency in addressing the classroom backlog.

The senator’s proposed measure seeks to decentralize classroom construction by expanding the mandate beyond the Department of Public Works and Highways to include LGUs and non-government organizations with a proven track record in classroom building.

Under the bill, LGUs and NGOs will be authorized to construct classrooms in compliance with the Department of Education’s standards and guidelines within their respective jurisdictions.

Aquino earlier urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to certify Senate Bill No. 121 as urgent, saying it would complement the Chief Executive’s directive to directly channel funds to LGUs to expedite the construction of much-needed classrooms.

“Ang panawagan namin sa Classroom Acceleration Program Bill ay ibigay ito sa mga LGU. Natutuwa kami na sa araw na ito, sinang-ayunan tayo ng Presidente. We’re hoping na dahil nag-a-agree na po tayo dito, ise-certify po niya na urgent ang Classroom Acceleration Program para sabay-sabay po tayong gagawa ng mga classroom para sa ating mga kabataan,” the senator said.

“Mga local government unit, mga NGO na may track record, sabay-sabay po iyan para ma-address natin iyong napakalaking problema natin sa edukasyon,” he added.

Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon has also expressed full support for Aquino’s proposal, saying the agency is open to partnerships that would help speed up the construction of classrooms nationwide.

“We are in full support of this measure, especially now na dalawampu’t dalawa pa lang ang nagagawa ng departamento ngayong taon. Kailangan po talaga natin ang tulong,” said Dizon, who revealed during the agency’s budget hearing that only 22 out of its 1,700 target classrooms for 2025 have been completed so far.