Dev Flores

Public schools officially open doors for School Year 2026-2027 on June 8, 2026.

Alongside the school opening, the classroom shortage remains an undeniable challenge for public schools to accommodate all enrolled students. 

According to Batasan Hills National High School Principal Mr. Joseph Palisoc, the school only has 105 classrooms. Each classroom can accommodate only 45 students. To accommodate over 15,000 learners, the school implemented a blended learning strategy, alternating between onsite and online classes across morning and afternoon shifts.

Under this setup, students will attend face-to-face classes three times a week, while the remaining two days will be attended online. The teachers, however, will remain in a full face-to-face work setup. They will be using online hubs or offices inside the campus to conduct their remote sessions.

Meanwhile, President Corazon Aquino Elementary School used dividers to split single classrooms into two separate learning spaces, also known as partition rooms. 

School Principal Dr. Jerry Ferrer Isip noted that amid this situation, they also have a plan to renovate classrooms, but not yet possible to implement this school year. He also mentioned making the partitioned rooms soundproof to avoid disruptions.

“Yung partition room natin gagawing soundproof para hindi nagkakarinigan sa kabila,” he said

[“Our partitioned room will be soundproofed, so the classes won’t overhear each other.”]

President Corazon Aquino Elementary School has 112 classrooms, and 45 of which have been transformed into partitioned rooms.

With reports from Evan Alvarez

Contractor Curlee Discaya has been transferred from the Senate custody to the Bulacan court custody, following the issuance of a warrant of arrest against him over malversation of public funds involving flood control projects. 

Despite the situation, his legal counsel, Atty. Cornelio Samaniego III denied the allegations against his client.

“Contractor ho siya. Legal siyang contractor, so we deny the allegations. Lahat ho ng mga kontratang nakuha niya sa gobyerno ay dumaan po sa bidding process,” he said

[“He’s a contractor. He is a legitimate contractor, so we deny the allegations. All the government contracts he secured went through the proper bidding process.”]

Discaya also expressed disappointment despite exposing the truth, according to Samaniego.

“Ang sabi lang niya, nalulungkot nga siya dahil nagsalita siya ng katotohanan tungkol dito sa flood control, siya pa yung makukulong ngayon,” he said

[“He just said, he is saddened because after speaking the truth regarding this flood control, he is now the one being jailed.”]

According to Samaniego, Discaya is currently recovering from an operation last month for a torn shoulder tendon. Nevertheless, the lawyer assured that they would not seek any special treatment and Discaya would join a regular facility with other persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

With reports from Dante Amento

The Philippine National Police (PNP) is urging the public to use the 911 hotline responsibly. The appeal was made following the reports where the PNP receives prank calls through the emergency number.

According to PNP Chief PBGen. Jose Melecio Nartatez Jr., repeated prank calls could automatically block their number from the system, preventing them from accessing the emergency hotline once they legitimately need help.

“Don sa sistema na yan ay kapag tumawag ka, 3 beses – prank call, iba-block ka na don. At by that time na kailangan mo na ng totoong pangangailangan, naka-block ka na. Sorry,” he said

[“Under that system, if you call three times – a prank call, you’ll be blocked. And by the time you have real necessity, you are already blocked. Sorry.”]

The PNP also emphasized refraining from making prank calls so that the responders can focus on those who really need help.

The Teacher Education Council (TEC) and Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED-UniFAST) have partnered through a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on June 3, 2026, for launching the Teacher Education Scholarship Program (TESP), which allocates ₱103.2 million in financial assistance for the School Year 2026 to 2027 for aspiring teachers.

Up to 720 students are expected to benefit from the financial assistance to pursue degrees related to education.

DepEd Secretary Sonny Angara considers the scholarship as a good investment for future educators.

“A scholarship for a future teacher is one of the highest-return investments a country can make. One teacher can influence hundreds of learners throughout a career. The impact multiplies across generations,” he said

According to DepEd, the TESP is the initiative of  TEC under RA 11713 or the Excellence in Teacher Education Act, wherein Angara is one of the co-authors.

“Isa si Angara sa mga naging co-author ng panukalang batas noong siya ay nasa Senado pa bago ito tuluyang naging batas noong Abril 2022,” the DepEd said

[“Angara is one of the co-authors of the bill when he was in the Senate before enacted as law in April 2022.”]

DepEd also clarified that the initial phase of the scholarship program will prioritize three key specializations: Early Childhood Education, Values Education, and Special Needs Education.

The Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP CIDG) explains why former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Manuel Bonoan didn’t attend his scheduled arraignment in Sandiganbayan on June 4, 2026.

CIDG National Capital Region Chief, Police Colonel (PCol.) John Guiagui explains that the health condition of Bonoan is still not good, and he also didn’t obtain a medical clearance from the hospital to go to Sandiganbayan. 

However, Guiagui noted that they had already said to the Sandiganbayan 5th Division that Bonoan would not be able to attend due to medical reasons.

Guiagui added that aside from hypertension, Bonoan is also dealing with a heart condition.