National School Maintenance Program Mobilizes Volunteers Nationwide Ahead of June Academic Year Bayanihan Spirit Ignites: Launch of Brigada Eskwela 2025 in Bulacan

Paterno Romeo Patrimonio

Sat, 14 Jun 2025

BULACAN, PHILIPPINES – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Education Secretary Sonny Angara officially launched Brigada Eskwela 2025 on June 9 at San Ildefonso Central School in Bulacan, rallying communities to prepare public schools for the June–August academic opening.

Community Power in Action
Dubbed "Bayanihan Para sa Matatag na Paaralan" (Community Unity for Resilient Schools), this year’s program emphasizes volunteer-driven repairs, cleaning, and resource mobilization. Over 1,000 parents, teachers, and local officials joined the Bulacan kickoff, repainting classrooms, fixing furniture, and installing learning aids. President Marcos personally assisted in painting a kindergarten classroom and thanked volunteers for their "selfless dedication to our children’s future."

Addressing Infrastructure Gaps
In his speech, President Marcos highlighted Brigada Eskwela’s critical role in supplementing government efforts:

"While we allocated ₱1.055 trillion for education in 2025, the sheer scale of needs demands community action. Every repaired desk, every painted wall, and every donated book builds a better environment for our learners."

Secretary Angara noted that 48% of Philippine schools require major repairs, stressing that volunteer efforts directly combat classroom shortages affecting 2.8 million students.

Corporate Partners Step Up
The launch saw robust private-sector participation:

• Aboitiz Foundation pledged solar panels for 300 off-grid schools.

• Metrobank Foundation donated ₱3.36M worth of tools and materials.

• Boysen Philippines provided paint for 15 Bulacan schools.

"Education cannot be the government’s burden alone," Angara stated. "When companies and communities unite, we create lasting change."

Nationwide Scale
From June 9–14, all 47,678 public schools will conduct Brigada activities. DepEd aims to mobilize 5 million volunteers—a 20% increase from 2024—to address typhoon damage in Cordillera and BARMM regions, where storms disrupted 48% of last year’s classes.

A Call to Action
The President urged citizens to contribute "time, skills, or resources," emphasizing:

"This is modern bayanihan: Teachers shaping minds, parents building classrooms, businesses fueling progress. It takes a village to educate a child—and today, the entire Philippines is that village."

Volunteer registrations remain open via the DepEd Brigada Portal as schools race to prepare facilities by June 24.