DEPARTMENT of Education (DepEd) Secretary Edgardo “Sonny” Angara has vowed to support the construction of new classrooms in Mandaue City, assuring local officials that the agency is ready to respond to the city’s growing classroom needs.
During a school visit on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025, Angara acknowledged the severe classroom shortage, with ratios as high as 1-to-83, far beyond the ideal standard of 1:35.
He backed proposals for an extension building at Don Gerardo Llamera National High School and a new 12-story school building in Barangay Paknaan, both aimed at easing classroom congestion and improving the learning environment for thousands of students.
Angara’s visit to Don Gerardo Llamera National High School was accompanied by DepEd Central Visayas Director Salustiano Jimenez, Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo “Jonkie” Ouano, and Congresswoman Emmarie “Lolypop” Ouano-Dizon.
During his tour of classrooms and facilities, Angara interacted with students, teachers, and administrators to better understand their challenges.
To decongest classrooms, local officials proposed putting up an additional building within an available lot three minutes away from the campus.
Angara welcomed the proposal, saying DepEd will prioritize support for schools in rapidly growing urban centers like Metro Cebu.
Paknaan
Apart from Don Gerardo, Angara also threw his support behind the planned mid-rise school building in Barangay Paknaan.
Construction of the project, which will have 42 classrooms, is targeted to begin next year.
Paknaan National High School has 6,172 learners from the elementary and secondary levels.
However, due to a severe classroom lack, the school is forced to run three shifts per day, affecting both teaching quality and student learning conditions.
For 2026, the DepEd proposed a P928-billion budget, one of the largest in the government. Angara said a significant portion will go to classroom construction, hiring new teachers, and strengthening school support systems.
Angara said the nationwide classroom backlog remains at more than 160,000, a problem inherited by the Marcos administration from the previous government.
To address this, Angara said the DepEd is pushing to decentralize classroom construction so that the agency will no longer rely solely on the Department of Public Works and Highways.
He also stressed the importance of easing the burden on teachers by hiring more administrative officers or project development officers in schools responsible for managing school affairs and logistics, such as the feeding programs or arranging vehicle repairs, tasks that often fall on teachers. / CAV