Insider Spotlight
At PBEd’s leadership forum in Makati on Feb. 18, 2026, Angara outlined what he described as a race-against-time roadmap to eliminate classroom shortages while embedding digital capability across the public school system.
The big picture
The education chief cast the reform agenda not merely as infrastructure catch-up but as economic policy.
Under the Public Schools Infrastructure Project (PSIP) III, IV, and V, DepEd is targeting the construction of more than 100,000 classrooms nationwide over the next several years. The first 16,000 classrooms under PSIP III have already secured approval, signaling the revival of large-scale PPP deployment after more than a decade of limited use.
He emphasized that conventional procurement can take two to seven years to deliver classrooms, while PPP structures compress timelines through bundled procurement and frontloaded investment.
“Efficiency is not optional. It is a moral imperative,” Angara stressed during his presentation.
Why it matters
For PBEd president Chito Salazar, the moment demands disciplined execution following the release of the Secondary Congressional Commission on Education’s final report.
“We are in possession of an extraordinary body of evidence, analysis, and credible reform roadmaps. The real work begins now. Our challenge is no longer the lack of ideas or data, but the discipline and resolve to carry these reforms through—to ensure that none of them once again fade into good intentions left unrealized,” Salazar said.
Angara’s plan positions PPP as the primary lever to accelerate delivery while maintaining fiscal discipline. By shifting from fragmented bidding processes to single-procurement, scale-based contracts, DepEd aims to fast-track classroom construction in high-need regions.
Digital leap
Beyond physical infrastructure, Angara unveiled PSIP Connect, a nationwide initiative to interconnect all 47,972 DepEd schools through devices, connectivity, and reliable power systems.
The goal is to build what he described as an AI-ready education ecosystem that strengthens foundational skills and prepares future-ready graduates.
PBEd echoed the urgency of pairing brick-and-mortar expansion with digital transformation.
“The revival of PPPs in school infrastructure is a turning point…But classrooms alone are not enough. While we build physical infrastructure, our neighbors are racing ahead in digital education. We cannot afford incrementalism,” Salazar said.
What’s next
PBEd is urging lawmakers to back complementary reforms, including decentralization of education governance, expanded voucher programs, temporary use of private properties as school sites, and the institutionalization of private sector engagement mechanisms.
“Education reform is not the sole burden of the executive or the bureaucracy. It is a shared obligation—one that we bear as partners in education who have long been working toward the same outcomes…and a direct stake in the quality, adaptability, and competitiveness of our future workforce,” Salazar added.
“Partnership cannot depend on personalities or short-term programs, it must be institutionalized,” he said.
— Edited by Daxim L. Lucas
