Marcos leads nationwide Brigada Eskwela kickoff

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday led the nationwide kickoff of Brigada Eskwela to prepare for the opening of school year 2025-2026.

Communities and parents are expected to help teachers and school officials prepare for the start of classes, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a chance interview as he and the President oversaw activities at the Barihan Elementary School in Malolos, Bulacan.

“President Marcos chose this school as he wants to know the real conditions of our schools and those who really need help,” Angara said.

“Before his arrival, we started fixing the internet connection as this is one of the needs here. There were donations from the private sector. The internet connection is from Starlink,” he added.

While the Department of Education has no funding for the procurement of lots for the construction of classrooms for Barihan Elementary School, Angara said the government is ready to fund it once local officials identify available space.

A normal rainy season is expected on June 16 when classes start, he noted.

“We don’t expect it to be as strong as in 2024 when Metro Manila, Cavite and Calabarzon were submerged because of strong rains,” he said.

In San Miguel town, Marcos visited Tibagan Elementary School and inspected the recently activated Starlink internet setup, observed the installation of a smart television and viewed a Khan Academy-powered class.

The President noted that many school facilities built during his father’s time, which he called “Marcos-type” buildings, should have been replaced 20 or 30 years ago.

Rehabilitation of these buildings will be studied, he said.

Clean bathrooms and adequate water supply in all public schools must be ensured, Marcos said.

In Angeles City, Pampanga, Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. has distributed 40 liters of paint, 25 bags of cement and four paint rollers to 55 public schools for cleanup and restoration efforts.

About 27 million students are expected to return to school next week.

The school year will end on March 31, 2026.

Medkits

In Albay, health kits containing a blood pressure monitor, weighing scale, first aid kits and other devices were given to 83 schools by the Department of Health (DOH).

Last-mile schools in remote areas received self-care kits for teachers, as well as exercise and sports kits, the DOH noted.

Disaster readiness kits were also distributed.

Teachers and school personnel can avail themselves of free medical consultations, vaccinations, X-rays, laboratory tests, HIV screening, mental health services, family planning, deworming for children, cancer education and sessions on health literacy.

SHS vouchers

Meanwhile, Angara has vowed to strictly implement the senior high school voucher program following the discovery of irregularities in the claims of some private schools in previous years.

The DepEd has demanded refunds from 54 private schools flagged for anomalies between 2021 and 2023.

Of the 54 schools terminated from the program, 38 have fully refunded the government, while two have made partial refunds.

Fourteen schools have yet to return the funds. About P65 million has been recovered. — Ramon Efren Lazaro, Ric Sapnu, Helen Flores, Rhodina Villanueva