ACT urges wider probe into 'ghost' school projects beyond Davao del Norte
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines has called for a broader investigation into 'ghost' school projects nationwide, following Commission on Audit findings that 66% of classrooms funded under the Basic Education Facilities Fund were not built. The group also flagged unverified vouche
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines on Wednesday urged the government to investigate school infrastructure projects in other regions, following a probe into 'ghost' classrooms in Davao del Norte. 'There are a lot of classrooms declared done and paid for but have yet to exist. This is not a coincidence or an isolated case,' ACT Philippines Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said in Filipino. 'This should be investigated thoroughly to know which regions have similar cases,' she added.
The Commission on Audit (CoA) earlier reported that the Department of Education (DepEd) failed to construct 66 per cent of classrooms funded under the Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF) for 2021 to 2025. Of the target 14,267 classrooms scheduled for construction over the five years, the commission said only 4,817 were completed, mainly in 2025.
In Davao del Norte, the commission also flagged around P83.26 million worth of non-existent, abandoned, and materially incomplete school infrastructure projects, including the construction of a one-story, two-classroom school building with a solar PV system at Kamingawan Elementary School. CoA said it found no structure during inspection, despite the project being 98.8 per cent paid. Similar incidents were seen at Dulyan Integrated School and Dugayan National High School, where both projects remain incomplete despite being paid almost completely.
'Why was it not monitored properly? Why were projects that were never built allowed to receive almost full payment?' Ms. Bernardo said. 'We cannot keep calling for an increase in the education budget while crocodiles are waiting to pocket public funds.' She added: 'We do not only need a bigger budget; we also need to hold accountable and imprison all corrupt officials.'
Nationwide classroom backlog stands at 143,543 as of June, according to DepEd. However, the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) told a House hearing in July that the gap remains over 166,000.
Apart from ghost classrooms, CoA noted 58 unverified beneficiaries under the senior high school (SHS) voucher program, amounting to an overpayment of P938,000 in school year (SY) 2025-2026. DepEd clarified that the 'unverifiable' beneficiaries are either dropouts, transferees, or deceased learners. 'DepEd will continue to pursue accountability and the recovery of government funds where warranted,' the agency said in a statement on Tuesday. 'DepEd remains committed to ensuring that public funds are properly accounted for and used for their intended purpose,' it added.
The government recently expanded its voucher program, targeting over 292,000 elementary learners and nearly 18,000 private school teachers.
