The four school buildings to be constructed by the Provincial Government of Catanduanes for the Department of Education (DepEd) under a Memorandum of Agreement signed earlier will be scheduled for competitive bidding soon.
According to Provincial Engineer Jose Rafael Manoguid, the school building projects worth a total of P50 million are now being processed prior to undergoing public bidding.
Engineer III Roger Matienzo of DepEd Catanduanes Schools Division Office identified the approved sites for the LGU-implemented, three-classroom school building projects as: Bigaa Elementary School in Virac; Sta. Cruz Elementary School in Pandan; Obi integrated School in Caramoran; and Rizal Elementary School in Viga.
The funds have been downloaded already to the provincial government following the signing of the MOA between Governor Patrick Alain T. Azanza and DepEd Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara.
The chief executive had requested Sec. Angara to include solar power systems and classroom furniture in the school infrastructure projects to ensure these could be used immediately after their completion.
Meanwhile, 10 more school buildings have been allocated to Catanduanes under the third phase of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) School Infrastructure Program to be implemented by DepEd this year.
These are part of the more than 160 public schools in the Bicol region in the
A recent announcement by an official of the DepEd regional office stated that six schools in the island are in the indicative list of PPP recipient schools released by the central office last year.
These are: Tucao-Maysuram Elementary School and Inalmasinan ES, both in Caramoran; Lourdes ES, Porot ES, Pandan School of Arts and Trades (PSAT), and Baldoc Integrated School, all in Pandan; San Miguel ES in Panganiban; San Andres Vocational School (SAVS) in San Andres; Sagrada ES in Viga; and Catanduanes National High School in Virac.
The sites underwent site validation last year to ensure accuracy and completeness of data regarding the validity, accessibility, and ownership status of school sites.
According to DepEd, the first two phases of the PPP-SIP successfully delivered classrooms and related infrastructure, but the implementation faced considerable challenges, particularly due to site-related issues such as inaccessibility, security concerns, geotechnical problems, obstructions, and delays in the provision of substitute sites.
News reports indicated that the DepEd was supposed to conduct the bidding process last March, with the contract signing eyed in August.
Construction will begin in March 2027, with the projects to be completed within a year.
Under the PPP SIP, the classroom package will include disaster- and climate-resilient classrooms; individual learners’ tables and chairs; teachers’ tables and chairs; accessibility features; one toilet for every 40 learners; and sufficient air ventilation. It will also provide digital infrastructure as well as Internet and technological equipment.
DepEd said that for PSIP III, the construction will be focused on sites in dense urban areas, with low- and medium-rise buildings to be built to accommodate more students.
A low-rise building has up to four stories while a medium-rise building has five to 13 stories.
Medium-rise school buildings will be provided with faculty rooms and other non-instructional rooms, a covered multi-purpose area, common areas, and wider corridors.
While the concentration of the projects is in urban areas, last mile schools — or those in geographically isolated areas — will not be neglected, the department assured.
In Bicol, the other division offices with recipient schools are: Sorsogon Division, 74; Sorsogon City, 20; Tabaco City, 21; Iriga City, 10; Naga City, 10; Camarines Sur, 8; Masbate City, 5; Camarines Norte, 5; Ligao City, 3; Masbate, 3; Albay, 3; and Legazpi City, 2.
Last January 2026, the Economy and Development Council (ED Council) chaired by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. approved the PHP105.7 billion funding for PSIP III.
PSIP III targets to build 16,459 new classrooms across 1,095 existing schools in Luzon between March 2027 to March 2028, benefiting at least 800,000 learners annually through improved facilities.
It is expected to reduce the average class size from 50 to 39 students, create more conducive learning spaces, eliminate the multiple-shift schedules, increase student contact time, and reduce teacher workload.
PSIP III will use a build-lease-and-transfer PPP to speed up delivery and complement the DepEd’s plan to build nearly 25,000 classrooms in partnership with local government units (LGUs).