DepEd Educational Facilities Manual: What Applies in 2026

The DepEd Educational Facilities Manual is the Department of Education’s reference on school sites, buildings, furniture, equipment and their management. DepEd’s Physical Facilities and Schools’ Engineering Division (PFSED), Office of Planning Service, published it in 2010 as the revised edition of the 2007 Handbook on Educational Facilities, with disaster risk reduction built into school construction. It is still in use: DepEd lists it on its Publications page, and orders as recent as DepEd Order (DO) No. 036, s. 2022 cite it. Many of its numbers, though, have been replaced. For school buildings and furniture funded from fiscal year (FY) 2027, DO 022, s. 2026 sets new minimum standards, and later orders and laws have changed its rules on toilets, demolition, drills, evacuation use, procurement and who keeps school property.

For an aspiring school head, the manual covers two strands of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads (PPSSH): 2.3, school facilities and equipment, and 2.5, school safety for disaster preparedness, mitigation and resiliency. Its chapters on site documents, repairs, records and safety are the ones a school head uses most, and each needs checking against the rule in force on November 4, 2026.

Key findings

• The manual is DepEd’s 2010 reference on educational facilities, and no DepEd order has replaced it as a whole as of November 4, 2026. Later orders cite it: DO 40, s. 2014 has new school buildings checked against “the latest DepED Educational Facilities Manual” (Sec. VI.C.5), and DO 036, s. 2022 lists it as its reference (Sec. VI). Where a later rule differs, it governs (see “How to tell which rule governs”).
• Classrooms: the manual sets 1.40 square meters per learner and designs 7 m x 7 m or 7 m x 9 m rooms for up to 45 learners (Ch. III.B, p. 77; Ch. III.E.5, pp. 99-100). DO 022, s. 2026 sets a 63-square-meter room for 40 learners or fewer in buildings funded from FY 2027 (Encl., Sec. VI.A.2, Table 1.0).
• Toilets: the manual suggests one seat per 50 girls and one per 100 boys, plus one urinal per 50 boys (Ch. IV.L, p. 118). DO 022, s. 2026 sets one water closet per 20 to 25 girls and one per 25 to 30 boys in new buildings (Table 5.0). In SY 2023-2024, public schools had 62.2 girls for every toilet designated for girls and 78.1 boys for every toilet designated for boys, not counting shared toilets, which are 55.9% of all toilets (DepEd WASH and Utilities file, SY 2023-2024).
• School sites: the manual’s minimum sizes run from half a hectare to five hectares (Ch. II.B, pp. 60-61), but DO 40, s. 2014 lets a new school open on 5,000 square meters in rural areas or 2,500 in highly urbanized cities, on a site documented as DepEd property (Sec. VI.B.1, criterion 6; Sec. VI.A.1, item 7).
• Drills: the manual’s quarterly earthquake drill is now an unannounced earthquake and fire drill every first and third week of every month (DO 053, s. 2022, para. 4).
• Evacuation: a school may serve as an evacuation center only when no other place is available, with open spaces first and classrooms only as a last resort (Republic Act No. 10821, Sec. 5), and DepEd limits the stay to 15 days (DO 022, s. 2024, Sec. III.10). The manual allowed the use in natural calamities “when there is no other safer place” (Ch. V.C.6, p. 132).
• Demolition follows DO 107, s. 2010, issued in October 2010: cordon off at 4 meters, inspection by the building official, approval by the Schools Division Superintendent (SDS) for ordinary buildings, and demolition within 90 days of condemnation. Gabaldon buildings may not be demolished at all (RA 11194, Sec. 5).

What the Educational Facilities Manual is

The title page reads “DepED Educational Facilities Manual (Revised Edition of the 2007 Handbook on Educational Facilities - Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction in School Construction)”, published by the PFSED of the Office of Planning Service, Department of Education, Pasig City, 2010. Secretary Jesli A. Lapus wrote its message, and Undersecretary Ramon C. Bacani its foreword. Its six chapters run from page 24 to page 151, followed by annexes of standard building plans and furniture drawings, a glossary and a bibliography, 224 pages in all.

The manual describes itself as setting standards. Secretary Lapus wrote that it “lays down the policies and standards” for DepEd officials and school managers, and ended: “I therefore enjoin all our education officials to use this Manual and disseminate its contents.” The foreword says it brings together “statutory provisions, rules, regulations, standards, guidelines, and instructions” that “would not be easily accessible to the field”. Much of it restates other rules: the National Building Code, the Accessibility Law (Batas Pambansa Blg. 344), DepEd and DECS orders of its time, and Commission on Audit (COA) procedures.

Later orders rely on it in four ways:

The PPSSH order, DO 024, s. 2020, also lists the manual among its references.

How to tell which rule governs

The manual is from 2010, and DepEd has since issued standards on the same subjects. Read it with three rules in mind.

1. A later order on the same subject governs. DO 022, s. 2026 says that inconsistent orders “are repealed, rescinded, or modified accordingly” (para. 8), and most facility orders since 2010 carry the same clause.
2. A law governs over the manual and over any order. The Accessibility Law, RA 10821 on evacuation centers, RA 11194 on Gabaldon buildings and the New Government Procurement Act all bind schools whatever the manual says.
3. Design standards depend on when a building was funded. DO 022, s. 2026 repeals DO 64, s. 2017 and DO 006, s. 2021 “in their entirety” (para. 4), but projects funded from FY 2026 appropriations, or whose procurement had begun when it took effect, still follow those two orders (para. 6). Projects funded from FY 2027 appropriations follow DO 022, s. 2026 (paras. 5 and 7).

DO 022, s. 2026 also says that “A Comprehensive Manual for Repair, Rehabilitation, and Maintenance shall be issued” (Encl., Sec. VIII).

What each chapter of the manual covers

For a school head, Chapters II, III and V matter most: they set out the documents to keep, the repairs a school may undertake and the duties that fall on the school head. The table under “Which of the manual’s standards later issuances changed” names the issuance behind each change.

School site standards

Location and hazards

The manual makes school mapping “a pre-requisite in the selection of a suitable school site” and requires a “proper detailed and thorough hazards assessment” before any development (Ch. II.A, p. 59). A new site “shall not be transected by a known active fault”, steep slopes prone to landslides “should obviously be avoided”, and a site near an active fault needs buildings that follow the National Building Code and the National Structural Code (Ch. I.M.1.b, p. 38). For major projects that need an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), an Engineering Geological and Geohazard Assessment is required (p. 59).

The site must be at least 200 meters from “places of ill-repute” and from places such as cockpits, malls, video game shops, jails, busy highways, power and communication lines and towers, factories, public markets, slaughterhouses and garbage dumps. Other structures, “such as barangay hall, social centers, etc., are not allowed to be constructed within the school site” (pp. 59-60). Learners should walk no more than 2 to 3 kilometers, or ride no more than 30 minutes, to school (p. 60). Buildings and other structures “shall not exceed 40% of the school site” (p. 60).

What applies now. DO 40, s. 2014 bars any new school on “identified high-risk or disaster-prone areas” and requires a clearance from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) stating that the site is not high-risk (Sec. VI.A.1, item 8; Sec. VI.B.1). For new or proposed sites, DO 022, s. 2026 requires that hazard records be checked with agencies such as PHIVOLCS and DENR-MGB, that the site conform to local zoning and the Comprehensive Land Use Plan, that it be reached by “a permanent and passable road at least 6.0 m wide”, and that “At least 30% of the total school site” stay open, free of permanent structures and not used for parking (Encl., Sec. VI.A.1).

Minimum site sizes

Where an elementary school cannot meet these sizes, the manual allows smaller sites:

Source: manual, Ch. II.B, pp. 60-61. A “class” is a section. One hectare is 10,000 square meters. For an urban school with 11 to 20 classes, ask the division engineer what size to plan for.

What applies now. For a new school, DO 40, s. 2014 requires “a school site of at least 5,000 square meters or one half (1/2) hectare for rural areas; 2,500 square meters for highly urbanized cities”, with the SDS justifying any shortfall (Sec. VI.B.1, criterion 6). For new technical-vocational schools it requires the same, or at least 2 hectares for industrial or agricultural technical-vocational schools. DO 40 is still in force; DO 033, s. 2025 amended only its rules on converting schools into implementing units, and states that “All other provisions of DO 40, s. 2014 shall remain in effect.” DO 40 sets the minimum for opening a school; the manual’s table describes the site a school of each size should have.

Ownership and site documents

The manual lists seven ways to acquire a site: purchase, donation, contract of usufruct, expropriation, barter or exchange, presidential proclamation and gratuitous conveyance (Ch. II.C, pp. 61-64). A donation must be accepted by the Regional Director or SDS for DepEd and registered with the Register of Deeds (p. 62). A usufruct contract applies when the owner cannot donate but lets DepEd use the land for education; it must be registered and annotated on the title (p. 63). The manual makes the school head responsible for having the old title cancelled and a new one issued (p. 64).

What applies now. DO 40, s. 2014 allows no new public school “without the availability of a school site duly documented as DepED property through a title or evidence of ownership or Deed of Donation or Contract of Usufruct for 50 years or other modes of acquiring ownership” (Sec. VI.A.1, item 7). It adds two limits the manual does not have: a tax declaration or an LGU resolution donating the lot “cannot be considered as substitute ownership document”, and DepEd funds may not buy a site “except if there is a fund specifically appropriated by law for this purpose”. A valid site ownership document is also a condition for new classrooms. DO 018, s. 2023 ranks schools for the Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF) partly “based on the availability of a valid site ownership document”, and DO 036, s. 2022 returns any classroom request that lacks one (items 2 and 4).

A school with an untitled site should start on it early. DO 33, s. 2011 created a National Task Force on School Sites Titling in the Central Office, with regional and division administrative and legal officers coordinating with it on site problems (item 6).

The school site card and the site development plan

Each site gets a School Site Card once acquisition is perfected, with a sketch copied from the survey plan at a scale such as 1:2,000. It is made in two or three copies: the original for the division office, one for the district office (elementary schools) and one kept in the school (Ch. II.E, pp. 65-66).

A site development plan must be prepared “Before any permanent improvement is undertaken in a school site” (Ch. II.G, p. 67). It is drawn at 1:500 for sites of two hectares or less and shows north, existing and proposed buildings (solid and broken lines), circulation, hazardous areas, open spaces for temporary evacuation and the school’s future classroom needs. Copies go to the school, the district office and the division office. “No changes in, or deviation from the plan as originally approved shall be made without the approval of the schools division superintendent”, and the plan is part of the property turnover when school heads change (p. 68). DO 018, s. 2023 keeps the plan in use: the division’s Comprehensive School Facilities Development Plan (CSFDP) “should be reflected in the Site Development Plan (SDP) of each school.”

Grounds, gates and evacuation space

School building and classroom standards

What makes a building acceptable

The manual calls an acceptable building “safe, sanitary, and adequate”: structurally stable against strong winds and earthquakes, free of structural defects, built with provisions for fire safety and for persons with disability, and with “a sufficient number of standard classrooms to accommodate the school enrolment” (Ch. III, p. 75). Classrooms should be oriented with their long sides facing north and south, so that windows avoid direct sun (Ch. I.I, p. 33; Ch. II.F.2, p. 66). In coastal areas the shorter side of the building should face the coast, to lessen the impact of a storm surge (p. 82).

The manual’s comfort rules are still useful when checking a room. No learner should sit “more than seven meters away from the teacher” (Ch. I.K.3, p. 35). Ceilings should be off-white with a reflectance of 85%, upper walls lighter than lower walls, and the chalkboard in slight contrast with its wall (Ch. I.L.2, p. 35). Windows on both sides of each classroom give daylight from left and right (p. 34).

Space per learner

The manual’s figure for classrooms matches its 7 m x 9 m room: 63 square meters holds 45 learners at 1.40 square meters each. Its 7 m x 7 m room, 49 square meters, holds 35 learners at that figure. DO 022, s. 2026 cites higher code minimums, “1.80 sq.m. per student” under the National Building Code and “1.90 sq.m. per student” under the Fire Code for exit loads, and says a 63-square-meter room “can accommodate 40–45 learners” if its exit doors are properly sized (Sec. VI.A.2.a). On very small sites the space per learner “must not go below 1.20 sq.m.” (Sec. VI.A.2.c). Any reduction in room size needs the recommendation of the division engineer or architect and the SDS’s approval, and must state the maximum number of learners (Sec. VI.A.2.d).

For secondary schools, the manual computes the number of rooms of each type as R = (T x P) / (S x U). T is the total weekly periods needing that room, P is 100% (80% for agricultural and fishery shops), S is the weekly periods a room is available (normally 40) and U is the utilization factor, 90% for classrooms and 85% for laboratories and shops. In multi-shift schools, the shift with the most classes is the basis (Ch. III.A.1.c(1), p. 77).

The standard classroom designs

The manual’s DepEd and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) standard designs are a 7 m x 7 m classroom “for schools located in provinces where the classroom-pupil/student ratio is not more than 1:45”, a 7 m x 9 m classroom for semi-urban and urbanizing areas where the ratio is above 1:45, and a 7 m x 9 m medium-rise design of at least two storeys for the National Capital Region and crowded urban sites. “ALL PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS WILL ADOPT the 7m x 9m dimension regardless of its class size” (Ch. III.E.5, pp. 99-100). The 1:45 ratio comes from law: RA 7880 defines a classroom shortage as the number of rooms needed for “a student-classroom ratio of 45:1” (Sec. 3.b).

A “complete” school building, in the manual, has a cemented floor, plastered and painted walls, a ceiling, a complete set of windows, two entrances with doors, wiring where electricity is available, roofing, a blackboard and, optionally, a toilet (p. 99).

What applies now. DO 64, s. 2017 made the classroom for elementary and secondary schools “7.00 meters in width/depth x 9.00 meters in length” measured from the centers of the walls (Sec. V.a), dropping the 7 m x 7 m room. DO 022, s. 2026’s room sizes are in the space table above. For senior high school, DO 017, s. 2026 also caps classes at 40 learners in core subjects, 25 in technical-professional electives and 30 in academic electives (para. 23).

Design details: the manual against the current standards

Sources: the manual as cited; DO 64, s. 2017, Secs. V to VII; DO 022, s. 2026, Encl., Secs. VI.A to VI.F. One foot-candle is 10.764 lux.

The National Building Code’s rules behind the manual’s window and ceiling figures still stand for all buildings: windows with “a total free area of openings equal to at least 10% of the floor area”, not less than 1.00 square meter, and ceilings “not less than 2.70 meters” in naturally ventilated rooms (Revised IRR of PD 1096, Secs. 808.1 and 805.1). DO 022, s. 2026 sets the higher figures for DepEd buildings.

Accessibility

The manual requires that the mobility of persons with disabilities be considered “in accordance with Batas Pambansa Bilang 344” (Ch. III.C.1.g, p. 82). The law has not changed, but its rules have. BP 344 bars any permit for building or renovating educational institutions unless they include features such as “sidewalks, ramps, railings and the like” (Sec. 1). Its 2024 amended implementing rules, published in the Official Gazette on July 8, 2024, list educational institutions under Category III and set a ramp gradient “not steeper than 1:20”. DO 022, s. 2026 adopts those numbers for new school buildings (see the ramps row of the design table) and adds tactile paving and accessible toilet cubicles of at least 1.80 m x 1.80 m (Encl., Sec. VI.F). RA 11650, the Inclusive Education Act, requires that inclusive learning resource centers and the facilities added under it comply with BP 344 (Sec. 6).

Building plans, permits and acceptance

The manual divides building plans into standard plans, prepared by DepEd and DPWH for general use, and special plans for a particular school. Plans from the field, local governments and private donors go to the PFSED for review, signed by a licensed architect and civil engineer and by the school administrator, and recommended by the SDS and the Regional Director (Ch. III.C.5-6, p. 84). A building permit is filed with the local Building Official; public school buildings pay no fees, and a building may not be used until a Certificate of Occupancy is issued (pp. 98-99).

What applies now. All school building designs, whatever the funding source, must comply with DO 022, s. 2026. The Education Facilities Division (EFD) reviews them, and they need the approval of the Secretary or an authorized representative (Encl., Sec. IX). Alternative construction materials must be accredited by the DPWH Bureau of Research and Standards or by the Accreditation of Innovative Technologies for Housing (Sec. IX.e). For DPWH-built BEFF projects, the SDS concurs in the Certificate of Completion and, after a one-year defects and liability period with no defects found in a joint inspection, in the Certificate of Acceptance (DO 018, s. 2023). The manual’s acceptance step is a post-warranty inspection by the division physical facilities coordinator, the implementing unit, the school head and a parent representative as observer (p. 100). For projects still governed by DO 64, s. 2017 (see “How to tell which rule governs”), the school head, with the Parent-Teachers Association (PTA), accepts completed buildings and checks them against the approved program of works (Sec. X).

Furniture and equipment standards

Seats, tables and storage

The manual sizes furniture to learners’ bodies. A good seat lets the feet rest flat, supports the lower back, leaves three to four inches between the seat’s front edge and the back of the knee, and slopes slightly back (Ch. IV.A, p. 108). Every classroom should have “at least two (2) armchairs” for left-handed learners (p. 108). The highest shelf should be no more than 1.2 times the mean height of the users, with shelves about 30 centimeters apart (Ch. IV.C, p. 109). Free-standing library shelves “should be strapped to the wall” against earthquakes (p. 117).

The minimum furniture for a regular classroom is 25 tables with two chairs each for Grades I to IV, 25 such sets or 50 tablet armchairs for Grades V and VI, 50 tablet armchairs for high school, a teacher’s table and chair, three framed chalkboards, a teacher’s cabinet, a handwashing facility, a drinking container with faucet, a water pail, a divan, a trash can, two bulletin boards, a filing cabinet, a forms rack, a utility box, a chart stand and a first aid cabinet (Ch. IV.G.2, pp. 112-113).

What applies now. RA 11394 requires schools that use armchairs to provide “neutral desks”, usable by right- and left-handed learners, first for 10% of learners within a year of the law and then for all (Sec. 3). DO 022, s. 2026 makes DepEd’s approved furniture specifications mandatory and requires furniture to meet RA 11394, Executive Order No. 879, s. 2010 (at least 20% of school furniture made of bamboo) and BP 344 (Encl., Sec. VII). School maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) may not buy “School seats, and teacher’s tables and chairs”, except furniture the Central, Regional or Division Offices do not provide, such as laboratory and workshop furniture (DO 008, s. 2019, Sec. V.D). The guide to school MOOE covers what MOOE may buy.

The manual’s classroom “structuring”, with the class program on the door, the President’s portrait above the chalkboard, a motto, perception strips, bulletin boards and charts on the walls (Ch. IV.G.3, p. 113), no longer applies. DepEd’s 2026 Brigada Eskwela guidelines state: “Classroom walls shall remain bare and devoid of posters, decorations or other posted materials” (DepEd Memorandum (DM) No. 027, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. B.3). DO 022, s. 2026 allows only DepEd’s name, seal, mission, vision and core values, portraits and sayings of national heroes, and the school’s name, ID and location, plus a plaque for sponsors and donors and displays that support learning in a designated section (Encl., Sec. VI.A.6.d).

Equipment

The manual defines equipment as non-consumable property with a normal life of more than two years whose cost exceeds a set level (Ch. IV, p. 107). That level is now PHP 50,000, under COA Circular No. 2022-004, which the MOOE guide explains. Every school or office should keep a red “Safe Ka Ba?” survival kit with water for at least three days, food, a first aid kit, a radio, a flashlight, a whistle and sanitary supplies (Ch. IV.D, pp. 109-110).

Kindergarten furniture is now set by DO 47, s. 2016: five tables and 30 chairs, a teacher’s table and chair, a cabinet, three open shelves, a cubby, one ceiling fan and two wall fans, with toilets and urinals sized for five-year-olds (item 13.C.i). The Kindergarten classroom must be on the ground floor, near an exit, and used only by Kindergarten. The manual’s furniture lists for special education classes (Ch. IV.Q, pp. 122-124) were modified for SPED support funds in DO 38, s. 2015, “to avoid duplication in the procurement” of capital outlay items.

Toilets, water, electricity and other facilities

Toilets and handwashing

The manual calls its toilet ratios “suggested” standards and prefers boys’ and girls’ toilets “located far apart” (p. 118). DO 10, s. 2016, issued February 10, 2016, made water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) a program with duties. “School Heads and all school personnel in collaboration with partners must endeavor to meet and realize these basic requirements” (Sec. IV.A). Schools include the WASH in Schools (WinS) program in the School Improvement Plan (SIP) and Annual Implementation Plan (AIP), and school heads report on it every six months (Secs. IV.B and VI). Its funding section makes school MOOE pay for “the proper maintenance and repair of school handwashing, toilet, water supply, waste disposal facilities” and for drinking water (Sec. V). DO 022, s. 2026 sets the ratios that DepEd’s new buildings are designed to.

The manual’s septic tank rule, at least 2 meters from the building it serves and at least 25 meters from any water source (Ch. III.D.3.e, p. 89), is now joined by DO 022, s. 2026’s requirement of a three-chamber concrete septic tank in every new school building, built to DOH Administrative Order No. 2019-0047 (Encl., Sec. VI.D.6).

Water and electricity

The manual requires “a standard water system” with regular inspection, a reserve water tank for fire, and piping that follows the National Plumbing Code (Ch. I.N.4, p. 45). It adds rainwater catchment for emergencies and a standby water line at the designated evacuation area (Ch. IV.L.6, p. 119). DO 10, s. 2016 requires rainwater catchment systems “in schools to ensure water supply for proper hygiene and sanitation during emergencies” and in areas without regular supply, and regular testing of water quality (Sec. IV.A).

For electricity, the manual stresses periodic inspection of wiring, because public schools “usually have no in-house electrician” (Ch. I.N.1, p. 44). DO 022, s. 2026 places the service entrance at least 1.60 m above ground or 0.30 m above the highest flood level, whichever is higher, puts outlets at least 0.45 m above the floor, and requires rechargeable emergency lamps with at least 90 minutes of light in each classroom (Encl., Secs. VI.C.1 and C.3). Schools that the National Electrification Administration identifies as off-grid and still without electricity come first among the criteria for the BEFF School Electrification Program (DO 018, s. 2023).

Libraries, laboratories, clinics, canteens and grounds

DO 013, s. 2026, on the School-Based Feeding Program, allows capital outlay funds for the “Conversion of existing classroom or underutilized spaces into functional kitchens and feeding space” (Sec. VII.A). A school short of classrooms should weigh that conversion against the classes that would lose the room.

How the manual builds disaster risk reduction into school construction and use

What the manual requires

Disaster risk reduction runs through the whole manual. Chapter I says that “Geological and hazard maps shall be provided to each school” (p. 28) and that site location “must consider all possible hazards” with “a multi-hazard approach” (p. 30). It asks for a school seismic safety program of eight elements, from policy and accountability to risk reduction for existing buildings, with buildings designed “to prevent collapse, partial collapse or other failure that would endanger human life” (pp. 51-55). It lists the school administrator’s steps against floods: better site drainage, backup power for pumps, check valves in sewer lines, off-site copies of electronic records, elevated equipment and, in multi-storey buildings, a library on a higher floor (Ch. I.N.16.a, p. 56).

At the school level, the manual requires:

• an organized “Disaster/Risk Control Group” in every school (Ch. I.N.13, p. 51);
• a school disaster preparedness plan “for each specific hazard”, with safe areas and evacuation maps (Ch. I.N.14, p. 51);
• a record of learner accidents, dates, causes and preventive measures (p. 50);
• buildings marked “OFF LIMITS” kept closed until repaired or demolished, and condemned or unfinished structures cordoned off (pp. 44, 89);
• open space for the whole school population as a temporary evacuation site (p. 44);
• quarterly earthquake drills, which it calls a presidential directive (Ch. I.N.15.a(5), p. 54).

Chapter III adds building-level measures: railings no more than 100 mm apart, ramps at sudden level changes, non-slip stair nosings, window grills with emergency exits, two swing-out doors at opposite sides of each classroom and smooth walls in primary rooms (Ch. III.D.1, p. 86). It then sets out designs against each hazard: shear walls and bracing for earthquakes, braced trusses and hurricane straps for typhoons, elevated floors and flood-proofing for floods, and site selection away from landslides and subsidence (pp. 86-88). When a building shows signs of structural failure, the first step is “Do not occupy the building” until a structural engineer has assessed it (Ch. III.D.5, p. 95).

What applies now

RA 10121, the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, was approved on May 27, 2010, the year the manual came out. DepEd’s policies under it now govern school-level disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).

Schools as evacuation centers

The manual calls the use of school buildings as evacuation centers “allowable in case of natural calamities”. DepEd officials may allow it “when there is no other safer place” and remain responsible for the school’s property while evacuees stay (Ch. V.C.6, p. 132).

RA 10821, the Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act of 2016, now governs. “Only in cases where there is no other available place or structure which can be used as a general evacuation center may a school or child development center be used as an evacuation center.” When it is, “gymnasiums, learning and activity centers, auditoriums and other open spaces shall be utilized first. Classrooms shall only be used as a last resort”, and use “shall be as brief as possible” (Sec. 5). If use is expected to exceed 15 days, the local government unit (LGU) must give DepEd and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) a written account of alternative sites and of how it will avoid disrupting classes.

DO 033, s. 2021 turns the law into steps for school heads (paras. 22 and 23):

• The LGU coordinates with the school head and the SDS first, and the school and the LGU sign a memorandum of agreement.
• Use runs “up to three (3) days for short-term displacement, fifteen days for medium and long-term displacement”, or until the LGU sets up an alternative transitional site.
• The LGU pays for cleaning, fumigation, utilities and repairs, and the school head reports any damage to the LGU at once.
• School personnel focus on education continuity: “they shall not be assigned as camp managers.”

DO 022, s. 2024, DepEd’s later order on class and work suspension, sets a firm limit: a school “may be used as an immediate evacuation site which should not last for more than 15 days. LGUs cannot use schools as long-term shelters for evacuees.” Schools also “shall not be used as quarantine and/or isolation facilities or vaccination centers”, though mobile vaccinations of not more than two days that do not disrupt classes may be allowed (Sec. III.10).

The two texts differ on a stay longer than 15 days: RA 10821 provides for one, with the LGU’s written documentation above, while DO 022, s. 2024 sets 15 days as DepEd’s limit and bars long-term shelter. The course that satisfies both: write the 15-day limit into the memorandum of agreement, and if the LGU needs the school longer, ask it for the documentation RA 10821 requires and refer the request to the Schools Division Office.

RA 12076, the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act of December 6, 2024, requires an evacuation center in every city and municipality, built by the DPWH to withstand winds of at least 300 kph and an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 and maintained by the LGU (Secs. 3, 4, 6 and 10). It does not mention schools. As those centers are built, LGUs gain the alternative site that RA 10821 requires them to use before a school.

How public schools compare with the manual’s standards

The 2023-2024 DepEd school files show how far existing schools are from both the manual’s figures and the 2026 figures for new buildings. Treat the comparison as a measure of need, not of compliance: DO 022, s. 2026 governs new construction, and the manual’s ratios are suggested standards.

Source: DepEd school master file and WASH and Utilities file, SY 2023-2024, public schools with learners; computed. Learners per classroom is total enrollment divided by instructional rooms, without adjusting for shifts.

Three cautions apply. The 7,283 schools above 45 learners per classroom are 15.5% of schools but hold 35.0% of learners in schools with room counts, because crowded schools are large. Shared toilets, 55.9% of all toilets in public schools, are left out of the ratios by sex; counting every toilet, public schools have 27.8 learners per toilet. And 15,582 schools with girls (32.6%) report no toilet designated for girls. The data posts give the regional detail: DepEd Classroom and School Building Data, SY 2023-2024, DepEd School Toilets for Girls, Boys and PWD, DepEd WASH Data SY 2023-2024 and Philippine Classroom Shortage 2023.

The school head’s responsibilities for facilities

What the manual assigns to the school head

The manual places school facilities “under the management of school authorities per Republic Act 9155” (Ch. V, p. 127). It gives the principal or school head ten functions over the school plant (Ch. V.A.1.e, p. 128):

1. define the educational objectives and physical resources;
2. plan and supervise the construction of school buildings;
3. work out the acquisition, survey and titling of school sites;
4. inspect the school, assess its condition and report and recommend to the SDS;
5. plan and carry out a rationalized acquisition program to meet standards;
6. oversee maintenance, beautification and sanitation;
7. recommend the opening of new schools and annexes, renaming and closure;
8. create an environment conducive to teaching and learning;
9. develop the school education program and school improvement plan;
10. administer the school’s physical and fiscal resources.

School heads “are responsible to the Schools Division/City Schools Superintendent for the educational facilities issued to them”, and property bought by DepEd or donated by LGUs, NGOs or individuals belongs to the receiving school (Ch. V.E, p. 133). The school head enforces care rules: a perimeter fence with secure gates, proper use of buildings including minor repair, clean classrooms, and proper use of furniture (p. 133). “Any illegal act or activity resulting from or related to, the utilization of the school property or facilities shall be the accountability of the school head” (Ch. V.D, p. 132). Using school property as a residence or for private interests is illegal, and squatters must be removed “in a proper and legal manner” (p. 132). Under Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code, a public officer who applies public property “to any public use other than that for which such fund or property were appropriated” commits illegal use of public funds or property; the post on principal malversation and graft cases covers how that plays out.

The manual also sets three kinds of evaluation. A preliminary evaluation checks the facilities of a proposed new school, after a hazard assessment of the site. A progressive evaluation during the year is “the main concern of the school administrator”, assisted by teachers or the division physical facilities coordinator. A culminative evaluation at the end of the school year, by a division team, reviews all facilities and updates the facilities program (Ch. VI.A, pp. 147-148). The review covers fire safety, earthquake safety, flood safety, structural soundness, sanitation, housekeeping and accessibility (Ch. VI.E, p. 150).

Records the manual requires

The school keeps a facilities file “for ready reference”, with separate folders under a Physical Facilities management information system (Ch. V.E.2, p. 133):

DO 107, s. 2010 adds a folder marked “Condemned/Demolished School Properties” (item 3). Donations received during Brigada Eskwela are acknowledged with an Acknowledgement Receipt and an Inventory Custodian Slip (DM 027, s. 2026, Encl., Sec. A.4.1.d).

Who does the work now

Three things have changed since 2010.

Custody of property belongs to the school head and non-teaching staff. DO 002, s. 2024 removed administrative tasks from teachers and gave “School Heads and non-teaching personnel” the “sole responsibility” for them, including “Property/Physical Facilities Custodianship” and “School DRRM” (Sec. V.A.1). The manual’s procedures lean on a school property custodian and a physical facilities coordinator (p. 100); under DO 002, those roles belong to the school head and non-teaching staff, not to teachers. The guide to DO 002 and school support staff explains what a school without an administrative officer can do.

The division plans the buildings, from the school’s data. DO 018, s. 2023 has the division engineer prepare the CSFDP, a five-year, ranked list of every school’s needs for new buildings, replacements, major repairs, water and sanitation, with school heads and the Parents, Teachers and Community Association among the stakeholders. BEFF priorities come from the BEIS and the National School Building Inventory. A request for a school building, under DO 036, s. 2022, needs a needs analysis certified by the SDS, valid site ownership documents, the division engineer’s site validation report, soil tests, detailed engineering designs approved by the SDS, and the SDS’s endorsement. The classroom requirement is “determined by the School Head and validated by the Division Planning Officer” (Sec. III).

Completed buildings are booked by the division. DO 053, s. 2021 now sets the booking-up procedure that the manual describes (Ch. V.I, pp. 141-142). The division supply officer records a completed building in the property card and the school’s inventory report, using the Certificate of Final Acceptance, the Certificate of 100% Completion, the Property Transfer Report and the Journal Entry Voucher.

Repair, maintenance and who pays

The manual classifies building work as repair (minor or major), rehabilitation, renovation, alteration and modernization (Ch. III.E.8, pp. 100-101). A minor repair replaces components “not subjected to critical structural loads and stresses” and is “estimated to cost less than 10% of the cost of the standard unit”, such as windows, doors and partitions. A major repair costs 10% or more, such as roofs, frames, posts and exterior walls (p. 100). For minor repairs, the school head should use industrial arts classes or local labor and submit an accomplishment and expenditure report with pictures (p. 100). The manual’s funding source, maintenance funds “sub-allotted by the Department of Public Works and Highways”, no longer applies.

The MOOE line depends on DepEd’s definition of a minor repair. DO 008, s. 2019 lets MOOE fund minor repairs “as defined in” DO 1, s. 2017 (Sec. V.D), which keeps the manual’s test for rooms, components not under critical structural loads costing “less than ten percent (10%) of the cost of a standard room unit”, and uses “P10,000 or less per classroom” for a building’s condition. DO 018, s. 2023 draws a higher line for programming BEFF repairs: a minor repair is “estimated to cost less than Php50,000.00 per classroom” and a major repair PHP 50,000 or more (Sec. V.4). It does not mention MOOE. Charge to MOOE only work that is minor under DO 1, s. 2017, and ask the division engineer and accountant how to classify work between that line and PHP 50,000 per classroom. Major repairs go to the division for BEFF or other funds. The guide to Local School Boards and the Special Education Fund explains how a school asks for SEF support; requests go to the district supervisor (municipal boards) or the SDS (city boards) by August 31 (Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025, Sec. 6.8).

The manual describes Brigada Eskwela as a voluntary maintenance week of five days in May (Ch. V.G.8, p. 139). Under the school calendar in DO 009, s. 2026, the 2026 Brigada Eskwela ran from June 1 to 5, 2026. Two to three months before it, the school facilities coordinator assesses all school infrastructure and records needs in the School Preparedness Checklist. School heads, teachers and other personnel are “strictly prohibited from soliciting or collecting any form of contribution” (DM 027, s. 2026, Encl., Secs. A.1 and A.2). The manual’s rule on voluntary contributions for buildings, collected by the PTA but “never by school authorities or teachers” (Ch. V.G.5, p. 138), points the same way.

Condemnation and demolition

The manual summarizes DepEd’s 2000 guidelines on condemnation and demolition (Ch. III.E.9, pp. 101-102). DO 107, s. 2010, dated October 20, 2010, replaced it, and DO 018, s. 2023 still applies it.

Gabaldon buildings now have their own law. RA 11194, approved January 18, 2019, declares them built heritage and states: “Any modification, alteration, destruction, demolition, or relocation of Gabaldon school buildings shall be strictly prohibited.” Changes to the original design may be allowed only with an NCCA permit where new classrooms are a priority, and school heads must report “the existence of or any structural damage to any Gabaldon school building” to the SDS (Sec. 5). Since DO 059, s. 2021, schools observe Gabaldon Schoolhouses Day every December 20. The manual’s line that “Gabaldon buildings may be remodeled” (p. 101) now needs an NCCA permit and a pressing need for new classrooms.

Disposal of unserviceable property

The manual’s disposal rules follow COA’s (Ch. V.J, pp. 143-145). Unserviceable property is returned to the property officer, who files an application for disposal with the COA auditor; the auditor inspects it, and a disposal committee recommends the mode: destruction, transfer, barter, donation or sale, normally by public bidding. The accountable officer submits an Inventory and Inspection Report of Unserviceable Property, or a Waste Materials Report for consumables. Property that “can no longer be repaired”, that costs more to keep than it is worth, that is obsolete, or that has become dangerous is subject to disposal (p. 144). A loss from theft, fire or force majeure is reported by the accountable officer with a request for relief from accountability (p. 142).

Use of school facilities by others

Use of school grounds and facilities for anything other than school activities needs the approval of the SDS, through the principal. The manual lists civil service examinations, literacy classes, polling places, religious instruction that does not interfere with classes, community programs and evacuation (Ch. V.C, p. 132). For evacuation, RA 10821, DO 033, s. 2021 and DO 022, s. 2024 now set the terms above. School security now has its own rules (DO 006, s. 2026, Sec. VI.5). Schools may hire security personnel paid from MOOE. Visitors must present a valid identification card, and all learners, personnel and visitors “must submit their bags for inspection at the school entrance”; school heads must also carry out a monthly random bag inspection. Schools “are encouraged to install CCTV cameras”.

Procurement

The manual applies RA 9184, the Government Procurement Reform Act, to school buildings, furniture and repairs, with competitive bidding as the rule and negotiated procurement in emergencies (Ch. III.E.4, p. 99; Ch. V.H, pp. 139-140). RA 12009, the New Government Procurement Act signed on July 20, 2024, repealed RA 9184 (Sec. 115). Read every reference to RA 9184 in the manual as a reference to RA 12009 and its implementing rules.

Which of the manual’s standards later issuances changed

What this means for school heads

Use the manual for what it still does well, a checklist of what a school’s facilities should be and the records that prove it, and check every number against the later rule before acting on it. These are the steps, in the order the year brings them. They serve PPSSH Domain 2, indicators 2.3.1 and 2.3.2 on facilities and 2.5.1 and 2.5.2 on school safety; the planning steps also serve Domain 1, and the accessibility steps serve inclusive practice in Domain 5.

A checklist by time of year

What a school head may and may not do

A school head may:

• schedule and pay for minor repairs from MOOE, and hire security personnel from MOOE (DO 008, s. 2019; DO 006, s. 2026);
• accept donations and volunteer work through Brigada Eskwela and the PTA, recorded and reported (DM 027, s. 2026);
• agree in writing with the LGU on evacuation use, on the terms under “Schools as evacuation centers” (RA 10821; DO 033, s. 2021; DO 022, s. 2024).

A school head may not:

• leave a building perceived to be hazardous open to learners: it must be cordoned off at once, at least 4 meters from the building line, without waiting for the inspection (DO 107, s. 2010, item 1.b);
• demolish a building without the building official’s finding, the SDS’s approval and a demolition permit, or alter a Gabaldon building without an NCCA permit (DO 107, s. 2010; RA 11194);
• change the approved site development plan without the SDS’s approval (manual, p. 68);
• let a barangay hall, social center or other structure be built on the school site (manual, p. 60);
• solicit or collect contributions for repairs from parents, learners, volunteers or partners (DM 027, s. 2026);
• assign teachers as property custodian or DRRM coordinator, or school personnel as camp managers of an evacuation center (DO 002, s. 2024; DO 033, s. 2021);
• buy school seats or teachers’ tables and chairs with MOOE (DO 008, s. 2019);
• use school property as anyone’s residence or for private gain (manual, p. 132; Revised Penal Code, Art. 220).

How the NASH may test this

The items below are original practice items, scored 3 (Relational), 2 (Multistructural), 1 (Unistructural) or 0 (Prestructural). An option that breaks a rule scores 0.

Question 1

Indicator 2.3.1, School facilities and equipment. Career Stage 1, Conceptual, Moderate.

DepEd classifies a building repair as minor or major by whether the work touches components that carry critical structural loads and by its estimated cost per classroom. Which statement best explains what this classification tells a school head to do when a building needs repair?

• A. It lets the school head treat any repair as minor when the school can afford it, since MOOE may pay for whatever repairs the budget allows.
• B. It tells the school head how to record each building’s condition in the inventory, so the division can rank major repairs in its facilities plan.
• C. It tells the school head whether the work may be paid from school MOOE as upkeep or must go to the division for its repair funding.
• D. It tells the school head which small jobs community volunteers may do during Brigada Eskwela, so that the school saves on the cost of labor.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: C. Points: A = 0, B = 2, C = 3, D = 1.

• A (0 points, Prestructural). School MOOE pays for minor repairs as DO 1, s. 2017 defines them, so a repair the school can afford is not minor for that reason; reading it that way misuses the fund.
• B (2 points, Multistructural). DO 1, s. 2017 does use the classification to record each building’s condition in the national inventory, and the division programs major repairs from that data, but the option leaves out the decision the school head makes now: whether the school may pay for the work itself.
• C (3 points, Relational). Work on components without critical structural loads, below the DO 1, s. 2017 cost line, is upkeep that school MOOE may fund; work beyond it is a major repair that goes to the division for BEFF or other repair funds.
• D (1 point, Unistructural). Volunteers do take on minor repairs during Brigada Eskwela, and the 2010 manual had the school head use industrial arts classes and community labor for minor repairs while the district or city engineer undertook major ones. But who does a small job is one detail; under today’s rules the classification decides who pays and where the request goes.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 1 expectations because indicator 2.3.1 asks for knowledge of the policies on repair and maintenance of school facilities. DO 008, s. 2019 lets school MOOE fund “minor repairs of facilities, building and grounds maintenance” as defined in DO 1, s. 2017 (Sec. V.D). Major repairs, which touch components under critical structural loads, are programmed by the division through the BEFF from inventory data (DO 018, s. 2023, Sec. V.4). The inventory option sees the division’s side but not the funding decision the school head makes.

Indicator 2.3.1: Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of policies, guidelines and issuances on acquisition, recording, utilization, repair and maintenance, storage, and disposal in managing school facilities and equipment.

Sources: DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2017; DepEd Order No. 008, s. 2019, Sec. V.D; DepEd Order No. 018, s. 2023, Sec. V.4; DepEd Memorandum No. 027, s. 2026; DepEd Educational Facilities Manual (2010), Ch. III.E.8, p. 100; DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020.

Question 2

Indicator 2.3.2, School facilities and equipment. Career Stage 2, Situational, Difficult.

You are the school head of a central elementary school. After a strong earthquake, a two-classroom building constructed in 1998 has wide cracks in two of its columns, and four classes still use it. The barangay captain offers a backhoe and volunteers to demolish it this weekend so that a new building can rise sooner. What is the most appropriate action?

• A. Move the four classes out and cordon off the building, ask the building official to inspect it, and send the demolition request to the SDS once it is declared unfit.
• B. Move the four classes to the covered court and post warning signs on the building, while its repair waits for the volunteers of the next Brigada Eskwela week.
• C. Accept the barangay captain’s offer, since the building is plainly unsafe and a quick demolition by volunteers saves both time and public funds for the badly needed new building.
• D. Move the four classes out and cordon off the building, then ask the SDS for authority to demolish it and to include a replacement in the division’s facilities plan.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: A. Points: A = 3, B = 1, C = 0, D = 2.

• A (3 points, Relational). It removes the learners from danger and cordons off the building, gets the building official’s finding, and only then sends the request to the SDS, who approves demolition of a building without historical value.
• B (1 point, Unistructural). Moving the classes and posting signs protects the learners, but cracked columns are a major repair that Brigada Eskwela volunteers cannot do, and the building is never inspected or processed for demolition.
• C (0 points, Prestructural). Demolition without the building official’s inspection, the SDS’s approval and a demolition permit breaks DO 107, s. 2010, and leaves the school head accountable for government property removed without COA relief.
• D (2 points, Multistructural). The safety steps and the replacement plan are sound, but the SDS approves demolition on the basis of the building official’s inspection report, so a request without the inspection has no basis.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 2 expectations because indicator 2.3.2 asks the school head to manage facilities in adherence to policies on repair, maintenance and disposal. DO 107, s. 2010 requires a building perceived to be hazardous to be cordoned off at least 4 meters away (item 1.b), an ocular inspection by the building official (item 1.a), approval by the SDS for buildings without historical value based on that official’s report (item 1.e), and a demolition permit (item 1.g). A building from 1998 is under 50 years old, so it does not need NCCA clearance. After an earthquake of Intensity VI or higher, the school head must also request an assessment of the school buildings by competent authorities before learners return (DO 022, s. 2024, Sec. III.5.c). The option that skips the building official gets the safety right but not the order the rule sets.

Indicator 2.3.2: Manage school facilities and equipment in adherence to policies, guidelines and issuances on acquisition, recording, utilization, repair and maintenance, storage and disposal.

Sources: DepEd Order No. 107, s. 2010, items 1 and 2; DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2024, Sec. III.5.c; DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026, para. 65; DepEd Educational Facilities Manual (2010), Ch. III.D.5, p. 95; DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020.

Question 3

Indicator 2.5.2, School safety for disaster preparedness, mitigation and resiliency. Career Stage 2, Situational, Moderate.

You are the school head of a secondary school with a covered court and 24 classrooms. A typhoon is two days away, and the municipal disaster office asks to use the school as an evacuation center because the town’s own evacuation center is not yet finished. What is the most appropriate action?

• A. Agree to the request and open the covered court before any classroom, and settle the written agreement and the cost of repairs with the LGU after the evacuees leave.
• B. Agree to the request, open the covered court before any classroom, and assign the teachers as camp managers, since they know the school well.
• C. Refer the request to the SDS and wait for written instructions before opening any part of the school, so that learning continuity is protected.
• D. Sign a written agreement with the LGU and inform the SDS, open the covered court before any classroom, and keep the teachers on education services, not camp duties.

Answer and explanation

Best answer: D. Points: A = 2, B = 0, C = 1, D = 3.

• A (2 points, Multistructural). Opening the covered court before any classroom follows the law, but the LGU must coordinate with the school head and the SDS and sign an agreement before the school is used, and leaving costs for later invites disputes over repairs.
• B (0 points, Prestructural). Opening the covered court first is right, but DO 033, s. 2021 states that school personnel “shall not be assigned as camp managers”; their task is education continuity.
• C (1 point, Unistructural). Involving the SDS is right, but waiting for instructions with a typhoon two days away leaves the evacuees and the school without a plan, and the agreement is the school’s to make with the LGU.
• D (3 points, Relational). It puts the use on a written agreement with the SDS informed, uses open spaces first, and keeps teachers on the education services that let classes resume on time.

Why. This aligns with Career Stage 2 expectations because indicator 2.5.2 asks the school head to manage school safety to ensure continuous delivery of instruction. RA 10821 allows a school to be used when no other evacuation center is available, with “gymnasiums, learning and activity centers, auditoriums and other open spaces” used first and classrooms last (Sec. 5). DO 033, s. 2021 requires the LGU to coordinate with the school head and SDS and to sign a memorandum of agreement (para. 22.a), and keeps school personnel off camp management (para. 23.a). The option that opens the covered court first gets the law’s order right but signs the agreement too late.

Indicator 2.5.2: Manage school safety for disaster preparedness, mitigation and resiliency to ensure continuous delivery of instruction.

Sources: Republic Act No. 10821, Sec. 5; DepEd Order No. 033, s. 2021, paras. 22 and 23; DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020.

Nothing in this guide reproduces or predicts examination content.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2010 DepEd Educational Facilities Manual still valid?

Yes, as a reference, but not every number in it. DepEd still lists it among its publications, and DO 40, s. 2014 and DO 036, s. 2022 cite it. Where a later order or law sets a different standard, as DO 022, s. 2026 does for buildings funded from FY 2027 and DO 107, s. 2010 does for demolition, the later rule governs.

What is the standard classroom size in DepEd?

A standard DepEd classroom is 7 m x 9 m, or 63 square meters, measured from the centers of the walls (DO 64, s. 2017, Sec. V.a). The 2010 manual planned it for 45 learners at 1.40 square meters each. DO 022, s. 2026 keeps 63 square meters as the minimum but recommends 40 learners or fewer for buildings funded from FY 2027 (Encl., Table 1.0).

How big should a DepEd school site be?

The manual’s minimums run from 0.5 hectare for a small elementary school to 4 hectares for an elementary school with more than 12 classes, and 4 to 5 hectares for rural high schools (Ch. II.B, pp. 60-61). A new school may be established on at least 5,000 square meters in rural areas or 2,500 square meters in highly urbanized cities, with the SDS justifying any shortfall and the site documented as DepEd property (DO 40, s. 2014).

How many toilets should a public school have?

The manual suggests one toilet seat per 50 girls and one per 100 boys, plus a urinal per 50 boys and a seat for learners with disabilities in each (Ch. IV.L, p. 118). DO 10, s. 2016 aims at a pupil-to-toilet ratio of 50:1 for boys and girls. New buildings funded from FY 2027 are designed for one water closet per 20 to 25 girls and per 25 to 30 boys, one urinal per 35 boys and at least one accessible toilet per building (DO 022, s. 2026, Table 5.0).

Can a school be used as an evacuation center?

Yes, but only when there is no other available place, and then gymnasiums and open spaces first, classrooms last, for as short a time as possible (RA 10821, Sec. 5). DepEd limits the stay to 15 days and bars long-term shelter (DO 022, s. 2024, Sec. III.10); RA 10821 requires the LGU’s written documentation to DepEd and the DILG for any stay predicted to exceed 15 days. DO 033, s. 2021 requires a memorandum of agreement with the LGU, makes the LGU pay for cleaning and repairs, and bars assigning school personnel as camp managers (paras. 22 and 23).

Sources

The manual

• DepEd Educational Facilities Manual (Revised Edition of the 2007 Handbook on Educational Facilities - Integrating Disaster Risk Reduction in School Construction), Physical Facilities and Schools’ Engineering Division, Office of Planning Service, Department of Education, Pasig City, 2010. Chapters I to VI, pp. 24-151, and annexes. Listed on DepEd’s Publications page.

DepEd orders

• DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2026, Enhanced Minimum Performance Standards and Specifications for DepEd School Infrastructure and School Furniture, September 24, 2026. Paras. 4 to 8; Encl., Secs. VI to IX.
• DepEd Order No. 64, s. 2017, Establishing the Minimum Performance Standards and Specifications for DepEd School Buildings, December 15, 2017. Secs. V to X.
• DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2021, Re-Establishment of Minimum Performance Standards and Specifications for DepEd School Buildings Using Alternative Construction Materials, February 8, 2021.
• DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2014, Establishment, Merging, Conversion, and Naming/Renaming of Public Schools, and Separation of Public School Annexes in Basic Education, August 26, 2014. Sec. VI; and DepEd Order No. 033, s. 2025, its amendment, October 9, 2025.
• DepEd Order No. 107, s. 2010, Revised Guidelines on the Condemnation and Demolition of School Buildings, October 20, 2010. Items 1 to 4.
• DepEd Order No. 10, s. 2016, Policy and Guidelines for the Comprehensive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Schools (WinS) Program, February 10, 2016. Secs. III to VI.
• DepEd Order No. 018, s. 2023, Revised Multi-Year Guidelines on the Allocation, Receipt, Utilization, Monitoring, and Reporting of the Basic Education Facilities Funds, July 20, 2023.
• DepEd Order No. 036, s. 2022, Protocols and Guidelines on the Submission, Receipt, and Processing of Requests Related to the School Building Program, July 31, 2022.
• DepEd Order No. 053, s. 2021, Revised Guidelines on the Proper Recording and Booking-Up of School Building Projects, November 26, 2021.
• DepEd Order No. 1, s. 2017, Guidelines on the National Inventory of DepEd Public School Buildings for School Year 2016-2017. Definitions of minor and major repair.
• DepEd Order No. 008, s. 2019, Revised Implementing Guidelines on the Direct Release, Use, Monitoring and Reporting of MOOE Allocation of Schools, May 2, 2019. Sec. V.D.
• DepEd Order No. 002, s. 2024, Immediate Removal of Administrative Tasks of Public School Teachers, January 26, 2024. Sec. V.A.1.
• DepEd Order No. 37, s. 2015, The Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Basic Education Framework, August 12, 2015.
• DepEd Order No. 21, s. 2015, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Coordination and Information Management Protocol, June 1, 2015.
• DepEd Order No. 23, s. 2015, Student-Led School Watching and Hazard Mapping, June 16, 2015.
• DepEd Order No. 033, s. 2021, School-Based Disaster Preparedness and Response Measures for Tropical Cyclones, Flooding, and Other Weather-Related Disturbances and Calamities, August 20, 2021. Paras. 22 and 23.
• DepEd Order No. 053, s. 2022, Mandatory Unannounced Earthquake and Fire Drills in Schools, December 9, 2022.
• DepEd Order No. 022, s. 2024, Revised Guidelines on Class and Work Suspension in Schools During Disasters and Emergencies, December 23, 2024. Secs. III.5.c and III.10.
• DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026, Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies, June 4, 2026. Para. 65.
• DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment, March 24, 2026. Sec. VI.5.
• DepEd Order No. 47, s. 2016, Omnibus Policy on Kindergarten Education, June 28, 2016. Item 13.
• DepEd Order No. 38, s. 2015, Guidelines on the Utilization of Support Funds for the Special Education (SPED) Program, August 19, 2015. Annex 1.
• DepEd Order No. 51, s. 2015, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Senior High School Program in Existing Public Junior High Schools and Integrated Schools, October 29, 2015.
• DepEd Order No. 017, s. 2026, Strengthened Senior High School Curriculum, June 4, 2026. Para. 23.
• DepEd Order No. 009, s. 2026, Guidelines on the Implementation of the Three-Term School Calendar in Basic Education, April 16, 2026.
• DepEd Order No. 013, s. 2026, Institutional Guidelines on the Implementation of the School-Based Feeding Program, June 4, 2026. Sec. VII.A.
• DepEd Order No. 13, s. 2017, Policy and Guidelines on Healthy Food and Beverage Choices in Schools and in DepEd Offices; and DepEd Order No. 8, s. 2007, on school canteens.
• DepEd Order No. 33, s. 2011, Creation of the National Task Force on School Sites Titling.
• DepEd Order No. 059, s. 2021, Instituting and Celebrating Gabaldon Schoolhouses Day, December 16, 2021.
• DepEd Order No. 024, s. 2020, National Adoption and Implementation of the Philippine Professional Standards for School Heads. Strands 2.3 and 2.5.

DepEd memoranda and joint circulars

• DepEd Memorandum No. 027, s. 2026, 2026 Brigada Eskwela Implementing Guidelines, May 5, 2026. Encl., Secs. A and B.
• DepEd-DBM-DILG-DOF Joint Circular No. 01, s. 2025, Omnibus Guidelines on the Use of the Special Education Fund. Secs. 6.8 and 7.1; Annex C.

Commission on Audit

• COA Circular No. 2022-004, Guidelines on the Implementation of Section 23 of the General Appropriations Act for FY 2022 Relative to the Increase in the Capitalization Threshold from P15,000 to P50,000, May 31, 2022.

Laws and their rules

• Republic Act No. 10821, Children’s Emergency Relief and Protection Act, May 18, 2016. Secs. 4 and 5.
• Republic Act No. 12076, Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, December 6, 2024. Secs. 3, 4, 6 and 10.
• Republic Act No. 11194, Gabaldon School Buildings Conservation Act, January 18, 2019. Secs. 4 and 5.
• Batas Pambansa Blg. 344, Accessibility Law, February 25, 1983, and its 2024 amended implementing rules (DPWH and DOTr, with NCDA; Official Gazette, July 8, 2024).
• Republic Act No. 11650, Instituting a Policy of Inclusion and Services for Learners with Disabilities in Support of Inclusive Education Act, March 11, 2022. Sec. 6.
• Republic Act No. 10121, Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, May 27, 2010.
• Republic Act No. 7880, Fair and Equitable Access to Education Act, February 20, 1995. Sec. 3(b).
• Republic Act No. 12009, New Government Procurement Act, July 20, 2024. Secs. 113 and 115.
• Republic Act No. 11394, Mandatory Provision of Neutral Desks in Educational Institutions Act, August 22, 2019. Sec. 3.
• Republic Act No. 9003, Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000. Secs. 21 and 48.
• Republic Act No. 4136, Land Transportation and Traffic Code, June 20, 1964. Sec. 35(b).
• Presidential Decree No. 1096, National Building Code of the Philippines, and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations, Rule VIII, Secs. 805.1, 807.1 and 808.1.
• Revised Penal Code (Act No. 3815), Art. 220.

Data

• DepEd school master file and WASH and Utilities file, SY 2023-2024, public schools with learners, as cleaned in the NASH Reviewer release of DepEd school data.

Written by Mark Anthony Llego for NASH Reviewer. Sources: DepEd Educational Facilities Manual (2010); DepEd Orders No. 022, s. 2026, No. 64, s. 2017, No. 40, s. 2014, No. 107, s. 2010, No. 10, s. 2016, No. 018, s. 2023, No. 036, s. 2022, No. 053, s. 2022, No. 033, s. 2021, No. 022, s. 2024 and No. 002, s. 2024; DepEd Memorandum No. 027, s. 2026; Republic Acts No. 10821, No. 11194, No. 12076 and No. 12009; Batas Pambansa Blg. 344; DepEd school data, SY 2023-2024.