THE national government has earmarked ₱3 billion to enhance access to basic education for children in geographically isolated, disadvantaged, and conflict-affected areas (GIDCAs), House Assistant Minority Leader and Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Christopher Sheen Gonzales announced on Sunday.
“The sum will support the Last Mile Schools Program, which seeks to ensure that learners in remote and marginalized communities are not left behind in accessing public kindergarten, elementary, and secondary education,” said Gonzales, noting that his home province, Eastern Samar, has at least 41 barangays classified as GIDCAs.
Under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP), Gonzales said the ₱3 billion allocation will finance a comprehensive package of infrastructure, facilities, and teaching staff for last mile schools.
“The package includes not just structures but also internet connectivity, technical-vocational laboratories, water and sanitation facilities, and solar power systems for off-grid schools, among others,” Gonzales added.
Gonzales issued the statement following President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to decentralize the government’s school building program.
“We support the President’s decision to transfer school building funds to local government units,” Gonzales said.
“In hard-to-reach barangays, it is indeed more practical for municipal governments to take the lead in constructing school facilities, with support from the Philippine Army’s engineering brigades,” he pointed out.
A former mayor of the Municipality of Guiuan, Gonzales has firsthand experience in serving isolated communities, including Homonhon Island, which can only be reached by a two-and-a-half-hour motorized boat ride from the mainland town center.
Gonzales serves on the House committees on basic education and appropriations. He is also one of the principal authors of House Bill No. 4745, or the proposed Last Mile Schools Act.
The measure seeks to institutionalize and make permanent the Last Mile Schools Program, which the Department of Education (DepEd) launched in 2019.
The House approved the bill on third and final reading on October 13 and transmitted it to the Senate the following day.
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