DepEd, LRA to upgrade land titles for faster classroom construction

Education Secretary Sonny Angara and Land Registration Authority Administrator Gerardo Panga Sirios signed an agreement to upgrade land titles into electronic titles in a bid to speed up classroom construction on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Photo from the Department of Education)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) has partnered with the Land Registration Authority (LRA) to upgrade the former’s manual land titles into electronic titles to speed up classroom construction.

According to DepEd’s statement Thursday, the collaboration aims to secure its land titles to ensure the legal status of properties upon which schools can be built, thereby eliminating “bureaucratic delays.”

Angara and LRA Administrator Gerardo Panga Sirios signed a memorandum of agreement last Wednesday.

“We can see that the lack of title signifies a lack of security or a lack of a secured future because it delays the construction of new classrooms,” Angara said in a mix of English and Filipino during the signing.

“The land or the title of a school is the heart of the community because that’s not only where children study, but also where the barangay council meets as well as the community,” he added.

Last October, DepEd Western Visayas pointed to land ownership as one of the issues delaying the construction of more school buildings.

READ: Lack of classrooms hounds Western Visayas schools

According to DepEd’s 2023 data, schools nationwide lack over 165,000 classrooms.

READ: DepEd eyes PPP scheme in solving lack of classrooms

Angara previously floated using public-private partnerships to address the shortage.