The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines denounced the Department of Education’s (DepEd) latest push to open classroom construction to local governments, NGOs, and private corporations under a “multi-sector drive” and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). Far from addressing the classroom shortage and backlog, ACT underlined that this scheme deepens the privatization of public education while whitewashing years of corruption and neglect in school infrastructure.
“DepEd and the Marcos administration are using government inefficiency and corruption as an excuse to hand over our classrooms to profit-driven entities. Instead of taking full responsibility and mobilizing state resources for a massive, government-led construction program, they are turning education infrastructure into a business opportunity,” said ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua.
ACT stressed that even under the current scheme, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) does not directly build schools and construction is already subcontracted to private contractors through a bidding process. The group asserted that PPPs—no different from the current setup where private contractors already dominate school construction, would remain rife with overpricing, political favoritism, and substandard work.
“The problem is not that the government is doing everything itself, but that it has long surrendered this role to profit-seeking players. DepEd’s proposal simply entrenches this privatized system, giving corporations even freer rein through PPPs and ‘flexibility’ provisions. This will only deepen overpricing, kickbacks, and neglect of poor communities,” Quetua added.
ACT emphasized that the persistent classroom shortage is not due to a lack of willing “partners” but to decades of chronic underfunding, pork-barrel politics, and the failure to hold corrupt officials accountable. The group noted that numerous overpriced, delayed, and substandard construction projects have been reported in the past yet no major officials have been prosecuted.
“Classrooms are not charity projects for corporations nor should they be dependent on the wealth of an LGU. This will only widen the gap between rich and poor communities, while big business profits from public funds,” argued Quetua.
ACT called for a full investigation into corruption and irregularities in classroom construction projects, the prosecution of those responsible, and the rechanneling of funds from pork, debt servicing, and military spending toward a government-led, nationwide school building program.
“Education is a constitutional right and a state obligation. The only real solution is massive, direct public funding free from corporate control, political patronage, and corruption. Teachers, students, and parents must unite to demand no less,” Quetua ended.#
