Gov. Ebdane Signs DepEd MOA for Zambales School Infrastructure
IBA, Zambales — The Provincial Government of Zambales has officially partnered with the Department of Education (DepEd) to construct new classrooms across the province, directly targeting the local school infrastructure shortage.
Zambales Governor Hermogenes “Jun” Ebdane Jr. led the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on June 2 to implement the National Government’s Basic Education Facilities Program locally. Under this partnership, DepEd will manage the technical standards and funding allocation, while the Provincial Government of Zambales will oversee the actual procurement and construction phases to accelerate project delivery.
Addressing the Classroom Shortage
The initiative forms part of a broader national directive under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara. Backed by the 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA), the program aims to systematically reduce the estimated 145,000 classroom backlog across the Philippines.
In Zambales, three public schools have been selected as the initial beneficiaries for the structural expansion:
• Panan National High School (Botolan)
• Bancal Integrated School (Botolan)
• San Agustin Integrated School (Iba)
Key Officials Present
The high-level meeting was attended by key education and local government leaders to formalize the implementation framework.
Representing DepEd were:
• Atty. Mel John Versoza, Undersecretary for Administration
• Atty. Peter Irving Corvera, Undersecretary for Senior Personnel Oversight and HOPE
• Aurelio Paulo Bartolome, Assistant Secretary for Human Resource and Organizational Development
Governor Ebdane was joined by Botolan Mayor Jun Omar C. Ebdane, Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) William Roderick Fallorin of SDO-Zambales, Provincial Planning and Development Coordinator Emmanuel Adaoag, and Provincial Engineer Domingo Mariano.
Governor Ebdane expressed strong optimism for the project, noting that the building of these modern learning spaces represents a vital step toward securing safer, more conducive educational environments for Zambaleño students.
