Poor planning at resettlement sites pushing schools past capacity

MANILA, Philippines — Poor planning in the government's mass resettlement program is pushing public schools past capacity, with one Cavite town needing 135 new classrooms from the surge in a single year alone. 

This is according to data shared Tuesday, September 29, during the deliberations of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD)'s proposed 2027 budget.

Data from the department, compiled by EDCOM 2, lists 64 NHA resettlement sites in 30 cities and municipalities, as of August 24, where elementary and high school enrollment has surged without enough school facilities planned for the new students.

In Naic, Cavite, enrollment rose by 5,405 learners in one school year, from 52,394 in school year 2025-2026 to 57,799 in 2026-2027, EDCOM 2 data show.  

Public schools in the town serve students from at least 48 housing sites run by the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Pag-IBIG Fund. 

Under the Department of Education's (DepEd) standard of 40 learners per classroom, that one-year increase requires at least 135 more classrooms.

The NHA told the Senate committee it is about to sign an agreement under which DepEd will fund schools in its resettlement sites. 

However, EDCOM 2 said the commitment covers only a fraction of what Naic alone needs. 

"In Naic alone, the 50 classrooms committed represents only a fraction of the need, considering the exponential increase in student enrolment," EDCOM II Executive Director Karol Mark Yee said during the hearing. 

EDCOM II first raised the Naic example at a July hearing by the Senate basic education committee, where it said lack of planning has "overwhelmed" the public schools near resettlement areas. 

For instance, this school year, enrollment at Muzon Elementary School in Naic, Cavite more than doubled, to 1,510 learners from 605, even as it only has seven classrooms.

At the elementary school of Timalan Hillsview Integrated School, enrollment rose to 7,459 from 6,515. It has 32 classrooms.

A much larger surge in students had already taken place in school year 2022-2023, when the municipality of Naic saw enrollment increase by 10,794 in that school year alone. 

That increase came around the recorded start year of the Naic View Residences housing development and required 270 more classrooms, Sen. JV Ejercito said.

Yee urged the department to coordinate better with the Department of Education on the availability of school facilities when pursuing housing developments.