No P1.28T budget for ‘ghost classrooms’

The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading on Oct. 13 a proposed P6.793 national budget for 2026 under House Bill No. 4058 with no allocation for “ghost classrooms.” 

That same evening, however, Cavite 4th District Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Barzaga uploaded a social media card falsely claiming the chamber had approved a P1.28 trillion budget for “ghost classrooms.” 

The post was meant to be satirical, but netizens took it seriously and used it to criticize the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Barzaga’s 9:16 p.m. post was designed as “BREAKING NEWS” and not labeled as satire. Its text read:

BREAKING NEWS: House Approves 1.28 Trillion Budget for Ghost Classrooms

Barzaga’s Facebook page regularly posts exaggerated political news.

One netizen who believed the social media card commented:

PATULOY AT PATULOY PARIN KAWALANGHIYAAN NG ADMINISTRATION NA ITO 😭😭😭 (THE SHAMELESSNESS OF THIS ADMINISTRATION IS STILL CONTINUING 😭😭😭)

Another netizen shared the post and included a caption:

Hindi na talaga natakot sa mga ginagawa nila! For so long kulang sa classrooms when i was still a teacher. Sometimes i had 72 students class dahil walang classroom. Ito pala ang ginagawa nila (They are not afraid of what they are doing anymore! For so long, there were not enough classrooms when I was still a teacher. Sometimes I had a class of 72 students because there was no classroom. And this is what they are doing)!

House appropriations committee chairperson Mikaela “Mika” Suansing said during the plenary deliberations that P63.2 billion of the education budget will fund construction and renovation of more than 25,200 public-school classrooms.

The P1.28 trillion figure refers to the entire education budget, which rose after a P56.6 billion realignment when Marcos urged lawmakers last month to distribute funds from flood control projects to priority sectors.

Barzaga is one of the two House members who abstained from voting on the budget bill.  

The neophyte lawmaker is drawing public attention online for his political antics and opposition to the Marcos administration, which he had previously supported. Several House members have recently filed an ethics complaint against Barzaga. 

As of writing, Barzaga’s satirical post had drawn more than 16,600 reactions, 1,100 comments and 1,000 shares. (APC)