The Department of Education (DepEd) disclosed that more than 1,000 classrooms built by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were handed over despite being unfinished.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the incomplete projects are not “totally ghost projects,” but likened them in jest to “aswang”, a Filipino mythological creature, as they appear to exist but are not fully usable.
“I saw some in the provinces that were turned over but weren’t painted or didn’t have electricity,” Angara added.
While funding came from the DepEd budget, each costing between ₱2.5 million to ₱3.7 million to construct, the DPWH awarded the contracts to private contractors.
Angara said DepEd will ask Congress for more flexibility in its 2026 budget to allow funds to go directly to local governments for school building. He also pushed for additional funding for completion of unfinished classrooms, stressing:
“This is a man-made calamity. The classrooms weren’t finished.”
DepEd has proposed a ₱872.887-billion budget for 2026, though President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. noted that only 4,869 classrooms will be constructed next year.
