𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐒

𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐍'𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍 𝐆𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐌𝐒

National leaders say the youth of the country are the seeds that will cultivate the future of the country. But what are they doing, also spitting on their own vision caricatures of them? Because today, countless Filipino students suffocate in cramped, unsafe, or incomplete spaces. 

Education Secretary Sonny Angara announced on Friday, September 19, that over 1,000 classrooms constructed for the Department of Education by the Department of Public Works and Highways are still incomplete or unusable, even though they have been turned over and may have been fully paid for. These are undisputably receipts of negligence cloaked in officialdom. 

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐔𝐍𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐄

The Department of Education (DepEd) has flagged more than a thousand classrooms that were turned over by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), yet are lacking essential elements: too less tables and chairs, poor ventilation, and lack of ventilation. In effect, what should have been infrastructure to uplift education becomes white elephants— structures that cannot be used, yet drain budget and faith. 

Teachers, students, and communities find themselves paying the price. Some say these projects have become "ghost" projects — existing only on paper, or existing only partially, with empty promises filling the rest of the space. The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) has been scathing: the public deserves real classrooms, not half-measures.

In a revealing exchange that cuts to the heart of public accountability, Senator Bam Aquino's interrogation of Engr. Brice Hernandez, last September 23, 2025, exposes a painful truth: mediocrity has become normalized in government infrastructure projects. When an engineer openly admits that "all" their projects — flood control systems, classrooms, and more — fail to meet standards, it is not just an indictment of technical negligence but of moral decay in public service.

𝐀 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐀𝐘, 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐏𝐄, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐏𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

The persistent failure to deliver essential infrastructure on time and within budget reflects not just administrative lapses but a systemic disregard for accountability. Projects meant to uplift communities too often become entangled in layers of paperwork, political interference, or poor coordination among agencies. This results to not only substandard bridges, roads and flood conrrol barriers, but also a rancid lack of facilities in the education sector. 

In turn, it becomes difficult for students to learn effectively and reach their full potential. Students shouldn't be the ones to adjust and allow the compromise of the standard of education they should be getting so those elite snakes dressed in empath's clothing could build their home theaters, beach houses, and backyard pools.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐓 𝐁𝐄 𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐄

The government must draw a firm line: stop the transfer of unfinished or substandard classrooms. The DPWH should never hand over hollow shells disguised as schools. Every project must undergo rigorous audit and accountability — with DepEd and the Commission on Audit jointly inspecting and flagging all defective or incomplete works, and holding to account the officials who approved them. 

We must stop celebrating "completed" projects when the public continues to see only structural skeletons. The classrooms they enter tomorrow must be safe, complete, and ready — not half-built monuments to neglect. Failing to give quality education to our youth is also setting up the future of our country for failure.

✍: Earlyn Joy G. Arboleda, Senior Staff Writer

🖼: Cymel Villanueva, Editorial Cartoonist