Raising concerns over construction quality and accountability in government infrastructure projects, the Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday, September 19, revealed that more than 1,000 classrooms nationwide had been turned over to schools in an “unfinished” state.

Citing an audit conducted by DepEd, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a radio interview that hundreds of classrooms across the Philippines remain incomplete.

“Ang nai-report sa akin, lagpas 1,000 classrooms ang hindi tapos (What was reported to me is that over 1,000 classrooms remain unfinished),” Angara said.

He added that many classrooms were handed over despite lacking essential facilities such as paint, electricity, and water, making them unusable for students.

“Hindi ko alam ang rason…baka kinukulang ang pondo, pero hindi magamit ang classroom [pero] ang importante dapat kumpletuhin ang paggawa (I don't know the reason… maybe there's a lack of funding, but the classrooms can’t be used [but] what’s important is that construction should be completed),” he said.

Angara clarified that while the classrooms were not entirely “ghost projects,” their unusable condition rendered them practically the same.

“Hindi ghost project, parang aswang yata dahil hindi nakumpleto (It’s not a ghost project, more like an aswang—because it wasn’t completed),” he said.

Based on field reports, DepEd said some projects were turned over unfinished. “Hindi naman totally ghost project, pero hindi tinapos. Dahil nai-turn over nang hindi kumpleto ang classroom, hindi nagagamit ang iba (It’s not entirely a ghost project, but since the classrooms were handed over unfinished, some remain unused),” Angara explained.

Ghost projects are infrastructure initiatives that are officially approved, funded, or declared “completed” but are either never built, left unfinished, or exist only on paper.

Under current budget rules, while DepEd controls the funds for school construction, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is the sole agency authorized to build classrooms.

“Yung pondo kasi nasa budget ng DepEd, pero for the last few years may nilalagay na ‘special provisions’ sa budget na tanging DPWH ang makakagawa ng classrooms (The funds are technically under DepEd’s budget, but in recent years ‘special provisions’ have been included specifying that only DPWH can construct classrooms),” Angara said. “DPWH po ang nagpapa-bid, mga kontraktor din po ang gumagawa (It’s DPWH that handles the bidding, and contractors do the construction),” he added.

Angara noted that this arrangement has slowed down classroom construction over the past decade.

DPWH is currently facing intense scrutiny over a wave of alleged “ghost projects” across the Philippines, particularly in flood control infrastructure.

DepEd data show that the Philippines faces a backlog of around 165,000 classrooms, with only 4,000 slated for construction under the agency’s 2025 budget.

Angara stressed the urgent need for reforms to allow local government units (LGUs), NGOs, and private partners to participate in classroom construction to ensure faster delivery and cost efficiency.

“Marami naman LGU na may kakayanan at maaaring magbigay ng pondo (Many LGUs have the capacity and can allocate funds),” Angara said.

Earlier this month, DepEd said it is exploring a major policy shift that would allow LGUs to directly handle classroom construction as part of efforts to address the country’s persistent classroom shortage.

Angara said the proposal seeks to speed up school infrastructure projects by moving beyond the long-standing reliance on DPWH, which has faced bottlenecks in implementation.

DepEd is also pushing for flexibility in the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA) to enable LGUs and other partners to take on school-building projects, subject to Congress’s approval.

The agency acknowledged that not all LGUs have equal resources or technical capacity, but proposed safeguards such as accreditation, co-financing for low-income municipalities, and clustering of localities to pool resources.

Standardized classroom designs, cost ceilings, and safety specifications will still be enforced, while DPWH will remain involved where needed, DepEd said.

Since taking office in July 2024, Angara has secured over ₱458 million in private sector commitments, funding at least 84 new classrooms and several upgrades.

He emphasized that addressing the classroom backlog requires strong collaboration among DepEd, LGUs, civil society, and the private sector. “Our goal is simple: every Filipino child deserves a safe and decent classroom,” Angara said.