BACOLOD City Mayor Greg Gasataya signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Education (DepEd) at Malacañang Palace on Monday, February 23, 2026, for the construction of additional classrooms in the city.
"In line with the efforts of the National Government to close classroom gaps nationwide, we personally signed a MOA at Malacañang Palace with the DepEd to build more classrooms in Bacolod City," Gasataya said.
He said education remains at the heart of his priorities.
"We will keep ensuring quality and accessible learning for every Bacolodnon," he added.
On Monday, February 23, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. formalized a landmark partnership between the DepEd and local government units (LGUs) to fast-track the construction, rehabilitation, and repair of classrooms nationwide.
The signing of the MOA marks the second batch of partnerships under the administration’s Nationwide Classroom Building Program, which seeks to urgently address the country’s classroom shortage, currently estimated at 144,758 units as of January 2026.
“Every classroom we build gives our children a better future,” Marcos said.
The initiative is backed by substantial funding under the 2026 General Appropriations Act, which allocates P85.4 billion for Basic Education Facilities.
Of this amount, P9.6 billion has been programmed for the construction of approximately 4,000 classrooms under the first tranche, while an additional P5.96 billion will fund around 1,700 more classrooms through the newly signed agreements.
Strict accountability measures include tranche-based fund releases, dedicated trust accounts, and mandatory monthly and quarterly reporting to DepEd.
In Negros Occidental, other LGUs that submitted a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the nationwide classroom program include the municipalities of Binalbagan, Ilog, Toboso, Hinoba-an, Pulupandan, Isabela, Pontevedra, Moises Padilla, Calatrava, Murcia, EB Magallona, Candoni, Cauayan, San Enrique, Manapla, and Valladolid.
Of these, Ian Arnold Arnaez, DepEd Negros Occiddental spokesperson, said three LGUs do not have a Seal of Good Local Governance (SGLG), which is needed to qualify.
These are municipalities of Toboso, Moises Padilla and Candoni. (MAP)