Jamaine Punzalan

Engineers from the Schools Division Office (SDO) conduct an earthquake inspection at Balara Elementary School in Barangay Pansol, Quezon City, on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. The inspection, which covers classrooms and other school facilities, aims to assess their structural integrity and ensure the safety of students and personnel in the event of an earthquake, as part of the ongoing disaster preparedness and resilience efforts of the Department of Education and the local government. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS

Job Manahan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/176103650730020251014-earthquake-preparedeness-balra-elementary-MT4.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Engineers from the Schools Division Office (SDO) conduct an earthquake inspection at Balara Elementary School in Barangay Pansol, Quezon City, on Tuesday, October 14, 2025. The inspection, which covers classrooms and other school facilities, aims to assess their structural integrity and ensure the safety of students and personnel in the event of an earthquake, as part of the ongoing disaster preparedness and resilience efforts of the Department of Education and the local government. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News </span></span></span></div><p>MANILA – Only 22 classrooms were built so far out of the 1,700 target for this year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Tuesday, adding that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) might have been engrossed with flood control projects. </p><p>Education Secretary Sonny Angara said he was seeking system changes since only the DPWH “has the power” to build DepEd classrooms.</p><p>“Yung lumabas dun sa Senado is that only 22 ang natapos may 900 na pending tapos alam naman natin close to 100 o lampas sa 150,000 ang kailangan nating silid aralan all over the country,” Angara told Palace reporters in a chance interview.  </p><p>“Mukhang nawili sila sa flood control sa totoo lang eh. Matamaan na kung sino ang matamaan pero parang hindi na naging priority yung pagtayo ng classrooms,” he added.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/20/palace-rejects-calls-to-abolish-dpwh-ang-dapat-tanggalin-ay-yung-gumagawa-ng-mali-1317">Proposal to abolish DPWH not yet being discussed -- Palace</a></div><p>Angara said the DepEd was pushing for public-private partnerships, which could fast-track the construction for the country’s classroom backlogs.</p><p>“Kung aasa lang tayo sa iisang ahensya, hindi natin mame-meet yan,” he said.</p><p>“Dati noong panahon ni Bro. Armin [Luistro], nakapagtayo ng 14,000 classrooms kasi doon imbes na nagpapa-bid ka ng isang building lamang, nagpapabid ka ng isang libong classroom, sabay-sabay yun, malakihan yung talagang pag construct ng classroom pag ganun (PPP),” he added.</p><p>The current administration seeks to build 40,000 classrooms by the end of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr’s term in 2028, he said. </p><p>“Nakakapanghinayang talaga dahil alam natin na yan ang kailangan ng bayan. Kailangan natin para umunlad, yung mga kabataan kailangan nasa tamang environment sila,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/21/doj-wants-flood-control-witnesses-in-its-safehouses-1612">DOJ wants flood control witnesses in its safehouses</a><br/><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/10/20/ombudsman-to-begin-preliminary-investigation-into-6-flood-control-projects-1858">Ombudsman to begin preliminary investigation into 6 flood control projects</a></div><div><iframe width="923" height="519" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mHHS7NQDMs8" title="Bakit 22 lang? Bam Aquino nadismaya sa kaunting classroom ng DPWH | ABS-CBN News" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><div><strong>REPAIRS IN MASBATE SCHOOLS</strong></div><p>Meanwhile, the DepEd said in a release that schools damaged by <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/regions/2025/9/28/devastation-and-resilience-masbate-reels-in-aftermath-of-opong-2241">typhoon Opong in Masbate</a> were “nearing completion of repair works.”</p><p>In a statement, the agency said 1,651 classrooms – many in Masbate City – were damaged by the typhoon, with losses reaching P1.079 billion.</p><p>Around P14.14 million worth of funds have been downloaded from Masbate’s Schools Division Offices for the cleanup and minor repairs.</p><p>An additional P23.4 million, DepEd said, would be needed to “sustain ongoing rehabilitation.”</p><p>“The DepEd Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS) has also allocated 20 upgraded temporary learning spaces in the ongoing emergency procurement to accommodate learners from schools still under repair,” said the agency.</p><p>It also expects remaining major repair works to be finished between December 2025 and February 2026.</p><p>Funding for the replacement of totally damaged classrooms, the agency said, is being planned under the Basic Education Facilities Fund and the Quick Response Fund in 2026.</p><div><br/></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable fr-active" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MnHaQPs_Hfs?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Only 22 classrooms were built so far out of the 1,700 target for this year, <i>the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Tuesday, adding that </i>the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) might have been engrossed with flood control projects.</p>

Only 22 classrooms were built so far out of the 1,700 target for this year, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Tuesday, adding that the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) might have been engrossed with flood control projects.

‘Nawili sa flood control’: DepEd laments only 22 classrooms built so far in 2025

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‘Nawili sa flood control’: DepEd laments only 22 classrooms built so far in 2025

Job Manahan,

ABS-CBN News

Published October 21, 2025 04:55 PM PHT

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Updated October 21, 2025 08:43 PM PHT

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DepEd

Department of Education

flood control projects

infrastructure

22 classrooms

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