SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian has called for the immediate repair of classrooms damaged by recent natural disasters, warning that delays could further aggravate the country’s already critical shortage of learning spaces.

“We need to move fast on repairing classrooms damaged by natural disasters from June to October this year. If we do not address this, we will exacerbate the current classroom shortage of 165,000,” Gatchalian said.

The senator emphasized the need for swift government action to restore affected schools and allow them to resume normal operations as soon as possible.

He also stressed that the 2026 national budget should empower the Department of Education to implement more flexible and efficient methods for school infrastructure development.

“Moving forward, we will ensure that the 2026 national budget will empower the Department of Education to adopt flexible and faster approaches in classroom construction, including partnerships with local government units and the private sector,” he noted.

Gatchalian further underscored the importance of building disaster-resilient classrooms that can withstand future calamities.

“Hindi na natin dapat hinahayaang paulit-ulit na nasisira ang mga silid-aralan sa gitna ng mga kalamidad. Dapat matibay, ligtas, at pangmatagalan na ang mga ito,” he stressed.

The senator has been advocating for long-term solutions to address classroom backlogs and improve school infrastructure nationwide, noting that resilient, well-built classrooms are crucial to ensuring uninterrupted learning and safeguarding students during disasters.