Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Sunday, Oct. 26, that he is in favor of local government units taking over the building of classrooms and road concreting.
“Funds for these projects should be downloaded from the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) budget” to the LGUs, Lacson said.
Lacson was reacting to the announcement last week that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered that funds be directly sent to LGUs to help expedite the construction of more classrooms to address the acute shortage across the country.
Palace press officer Claire Castro said the Department of Education (DepEd) and the DPWH were expected to sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with LGUs on this matter.
“The President wants the classroom shortage to be addressed as soon as possible for the benefit of the students. Slow action is not acceptable — that is the President’s directive,” Castro said.
The League of Cities of the Philippines will work with the Office of the President, Department of Budget Management and DPWH to clarify and come up with defined parameters on how to go about the implementation of the directive, Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante, president of the Negros Association of Chief Executives, said.*