Nasaan ang pagkakaiba? Bam Aquino pushes for best value in government's classroom construction to address backlog

Nasaan ang pagkakaiba? Bam Aquino pushes for best value in government's classroom construction to address backlog

Days following his appointment as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Senator Bam Aquino buckled down to work and conducted his first hearing on the classroom backlog.

During Tuesday's hearing, Aquino stressed the importance of determining the best value for classroom construction so the government can double its output and address the backlog faster.

This came after it was revealed during the hearing that a classroom costs an average of ₱1.5 million to ₱2 million under partnerships between local government units and the private sector.

The amount is far lower than the ₱2.5 million to ₱3.8 million average cost of classrooms built by the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

"Gusto nating malaman. Nasaan ba talaga ang pagkakaiba? During the technical working group (TWG), we will require the different groups to submit all the way to cost of materials, cost of labor. Malalaman natin para makumpara natin. Baka naman iyong semento niyo kalahati lang ang presyo sa semento nila," Aquino said.

"Hopefully we can move forward and really provide the best value for our students. Kung magagawa natin ito at P1.5 million to P2 million, parang dumoble iyong kaya nating mabuo na classroom. I think this is something we can all get behind," he added.

Aquino also noted that LGU-private sector partnerships can complete classrooms in less than a year, compared to the years it takes national government agencies to finish similar projects.

In his opening statement, Aquino emphasized the immediate need to solve the problem of classroom backlogs to prevent them from worsening in the coming years.

"Kapag hindi natin mahanapan ng solusyon ang backlog ng classrooms, we're looking at not just years but decades, siguro mahigit pa sa limang presidente ang lilipas bago natin mahabol ang kakulangan na ito kung hindi natin ito mamadaliin at talagang bibigyan ng tamang pansin," Aquino insisted.

"Kung tanggalin pa natin ang mga balakid, inefficiency, corruption at tutukan talaga natin ang programang ito, naniniwala po ang kumite na kaya nating higitan ang 40,000 classrooms," he added, referring to the administration's target.

The hearing stemmed from Aquino's proposed Senate Bill No. 121 or the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which seeks to authorize capable local government units (LGUs) and private sector entities to build classrooms in compliance with national standards and guidelines within their jurisdictions, with funding support from the national government.

"Kung mabubuo ang CAP Law, DepEd is going to prescribe. Kung siyudad ka, ganito ang presyo mo. Kung nasa rural area ka, ganito ang presyo mo. To be able to come up with those numbers, kailangan makumpara natin iyan. Hopefully, with the support of our chairman of finance and the executive department, we'll be able to come up with a good fund na puwedeng sabay-sabay tayo lahat gumawa," Aquino pointed out.

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