P179-BILLION DEPED BUDGET FOR CLASSROOMS UNSPENT

In Central Visayas, 2,766 classrooms, which are already budgeted, have yet to be constructed since 2014

The Department of Education (DepEd) has some P179 billion unspent budget in the last three years for construction of classrooms in the entire country, the committee on social development of the Regional Development Council (RDC) 7 said.

The RDC 7, during its third full council meeting held in Dumaguete City yesterday, passed a resolution requesting the DepEd Central Office to consider alternative modes to fast-track the implementation of the construction of the school classroom programs.

In a report, Evelyn Nacario Castro, chairman of the committee on social development, said that at present, the country has a backlog of around 80,000 when it comes to construction of new school classrooms.

In 2017 alone, Castro said DepEd spent only 30 percent of its budget for the construction of classrooms, which would mean that P76 billion of the budget was unspent. The amount would have covered the construction of 15,000 classrooms.

In Central Visayas, which includes Cebu, 2,766 of the 13,057 classrooms allocated for the region since 2014 were not constructed. Based on documents provided by DepEd 7, 66 classrooms that were part of a P2.7 billion allocation for 2014 are still ongoing construction. Of these, 49 are in Negros Oriental, 15 are in LapuLapu City and two in Guihulngan City. While Guihulngan City is in Negros Oriental, the projects were identified based on DepEd agency jurisdiction.

Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, during the RDC 7 meeting yesterday, said that in his province, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has failed to implement around P1 billion worth of school classroom projects.

“I suggest that instead of giving it to DPWH, why not let the local government unit handle the implementation of these projects?” he said.

In 2015, DepEd gave Central Visayas P6.9 billion to build 4,614 classrooms, but 374 classrooms have yet to be completed. Some 118 are in Negros Oriental, 61 in Lapu-Lapu City, 46 in Cebu City, 29 in Danao City, 16 in Guihulngan City, 13 in Tanjay City, 12 in Cebu Province and four are in Bayawan City.

DepEd also allocated P5.3 billion

to build 3,102 classrooms in 2016, but 1,604 classrooms have yet to be finished with 438 located in Cebu Province.

Last year, DepEd allocated P3 billion to build 1,373 new classrooms, but 718 remain unfinished with 131 of them in Cebu Province.

DPWH 7 Director Edgar Tabacon said he will meet all district engineers and division chiefs in the region on Oct. 17 to determine the number of classrooms that they need to construct.

Why not let the LGU handle the implementation of these projects?

GOV. ROEL DEGAMO Negros Oriental