PHP 600 million to fund 468 classrooms in Iloilo

By Mariela Angella Oladive

Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. vowed to address the shortage of classrooms in the province by constructing 468 new classrooms this year through a PHP 600 million allocation from the province’s Special Education Fund (SEF).

In his State of the Province Address during the 2025 Iloilo Provincial Education Summit, Defensor said the project will prioritize schools still relying on makeshift classrooms, which continue to serve as temporary learning spaces for thousands of students.

“The 468 is doable… We want to spend PHP 600 million for classrooms in our SEF; we don’t want savings towards the end of the year—we want to spend the money,” the governor stressed.

He appealed to local government units to assist in the rollout of the program.

The classroom construction initiative forms part of the Bulig Eskwela sang Probinsya (BES Probins) Program, which seeks to improve education facilities in Iloilo by building typhoon-resilient classrooms and inclusive learning spaces for diverse communities.

DepEd data shows that the province currently faces a shortage of 1,655 classrooms at both elementary and secondary levels, while 7,279 classrooms require major repair.

The 468 classrooms identified by DepEd are considered the most urgent needs in the province.

Defensor emphasized that despite education being a national government mandate, the provincial government is taking on the responsibility to strengthen school infrastructure.

From 2022 to 2025, Iloilo has already spent PHP 355 million on classroom projects.

Of this amount, PHP 157.85 million went to the construction of 86 classrooms, including 29 typhoon-resilient buildings.

Another PHP 7 million was used for makeshift tents and temporary classrooms, while PHP 14.68 million was spent on the repair and improvement of 25 classrooms.

The province also expanded support for specialized facilities such as Madrasah schools for Muslim learners, schools of living tradition for Indigenous Peoples, teen centers, and water systems in schools.

Meanwhile, DepEd Undersecretary Atty. Peter Irving Corvera expressed strong support for devolving classroom construction responsibilities to LGUs.

He argued that local governments are better positioned to manage school infrastructure projects due to their familiarity with local contexts.

He noted that classroom construction is currently handled by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), but a more responsive and efficient approach would be to involve LGUs directly.