IBA, Zambales (June 20, 2026) — Four schools in the province of Zambales will receive additional classrooms under the Basic Education Facilities Program (BEFP) of the Department of Education (DepEd), which targets the construction of 20,000 new learning spaces this year.

This after DepEd and the Zambales provincial government signed a memorandum of agreement on Wednesday, June 17, to include the province among the beneficiaries of the program.

Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., who signed the MOA with DepEd Assistant Secretary Aurelio Paulo Bartolome, said the new classrooms will be built in four locations: Bangantalinga Elementary School and Paulo Abastillas Sr. Memorial Elementary School in the capital town of Iba; Carael Integrated School in the municipality of Botolan; and Sta. Rita Elementary School in Cabangan.

Under the agreement, the DepEd will provide funds for the school projects and set technical standards for classroom construction, Ebdane said.

The provincial government of Zambales, meanwhile, will be in charge of construction and project implementation, he added.

The Schools Division of Zambales operates a total of 315 public schools across the 13 municipalities in the province, and local authorities noted that school population swells alongside an annual demographic growth rate of more than 2 percent.

Estimates place the number of learners under the Schools Division of Zambales from 140,000 to 150,000.

Ebdane said the classrooms project would significantly help the provincial government in making education more accessible to Zambaleños. He personally thanked Education Secretary Sonny Angara for the agency’s support for the local schools on Wednesday.

DepEd has expressed optimism to achieve a “record-breaking” year in the government’s classroom construction program after it signed a MOA with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) for the implementation of the BEFP on Thursday, June 18.

Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon said the DPWH expects to complete more than 9,000 classrooms this year. These include at least 5,000 classrooms for FY 2026 and the completion of 4,000 backlogs from 2025, he added. ▲