SENATOR  Bam Aquino has urged the Department of Education to present clear and updated data on classroom backlogs to properly determine the funding needed in the 2026 national budget.

Aquino raised the concern after visiting two schools in Mabalacat, Pampanga, where he learned 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 Committee on Basic Education, which he chairs, on his proposed Senate Bill No. 121, or the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program Act.

“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.

Aquino stressed that accurate data is critical to ensure proper allocation of funds, especially after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. expressed his intention to rechannel the ₱275-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.

He also urged DepEd to issue a clear policy on condemned classrooms, including a timeline for their replacement, to help avoid double and triple shifts in public schools.

Aquino’s Senate Bill No. 121 seeks to authorize local government units and non-government organizations to build classrooms within their jurisdictions—following national standards and guidelines—with funding support from the national government.