AT LEAST three lawmakers have filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to investigate what they describe as the extremely low performance of the Department of Education’s school building program under the Duterte and Marcos Jr. administrations.

House Resolution No. 425, filed by ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio, Kabataan Rep. Renee Louise Co, and Gabriela Rep. Sarah Jane Elago, calls on the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture to probe years of unmet classroom construction targets amid a worsening education crisis.

The lawmakers cited the long-standing classroom shortage, which has forced teachers to handle classes with 60–80 students—far above the ideal class size of 35.

They warned that inadequate facilities have contributed to declining learning outcomes and poor working conditions for educators.

Data from the National Expenditure Programs for fiscal years 2020 to 2026 showed that DepEd repeatedly fell short of its annual classroom construction goals.

The Commission on Audit flagged 2023 as particularly dismal, noting that only 192 classrooms—or just 3% of the target—were completed while Vice President Sara Duterte was DepEd Secretary.

COA attributed the delays to repeated design changes and project realignments.

The resolution also noted that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in his July 2025 State of the Nation Address, committed to building only 40,000 classrooms by 2028—about 27% of the estimated 146,708 backlog.

For 2026, the administration proposed ₱28 billion for Basic Education Facilities, with ₱13.2 billion allocated to construct 4,869 classrooms—an amount lawmakers criticized as addressing only 3% of the nationwide deficit.

Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara earlier admitted that only 22,092 classrooms were built from July 2022 to July 2025, attributing delays to the Department of Public Works and Highways, which he said prioritized flood control projects over school buildings.

The lawmakers warned that the continued shortfall in classroom construction is worsening the country’s learning crisis.