Mayor Greg Gasataya and Education Secretary Sonny Angara following the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for the construction of a new 16-classroom school building.*
A new 16-classroom school building will soon rise at Progreso Village National High School in Barangay Vista Alegre after Mayor Greg Gasataya and Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara formally signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on Wednesday, July 29.
The project is expected to help address the growing classroom shortage in the relocation community and improve access to senior high school education for hundreds of learners, a press release from the Bacolod City Communications Office said Thursday.
Gasataya thanked the Department of Education (DepEd) and the national government for partnering with the city to accelerate the construction of additional school facilities.
“We truly appreciate the efforts of the national government, which are aligned with the President’s priority of empowering local government units and strengthening the country’s education sector,” the mayor said.
At present, Progreso Village National High School has only 12 classrooms, forcing many students to enroll in senior high schools in neighboring barangays due to limited capacity.
The shortage of classrooms has also contributed to absenteeism and student dropouts.
Bacolod City Schools Division Superintendent Dennis Develos welcomed the project, describing it as a timely intervention for incoming senior high school students.
“This comes at the right time for our Grade 10 learners who will soon enroll in Senior High School. The additional classrooms will expand the school’s capacity, make education more accessible to the community, and help reduce student dropout rates,” Develos said.
Progreso Village National High School currently serves more than 1,000 learners.
Once completed, School Principal Lemuel Mendoza said that the new 16-classroom building, with a project cost of Php52.5 million, is expected to accommodate approximately 350 to 500 additional students, significantly easing classroom congestion and expanding access to quality education.
Mendoza described the project as a major milestone in improving the quality and accessibility of education in the Progreso Village community, particularly with the expansion of the school’s Senior High School program.
“This project will provide more educational opportunities for our PROUD Progresonian learners by allowing them to pursue Senior High School within their own community. It will also help reduce transportation costs for families while reinforcing the city’s commitment to accessible, inclusive, and quality education,” Mendoza said.
The DepEd-LGU partnership, launched under the Marcos administration, aims to fast-track the construction, rehabilitation, and repair of classrooms nationwide.
The Nationwide Classroom Building Program seeks to address the country’s estimated classroom backlog of 144,758 units as of January.*
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