After quakes and floods, Davao Occidental schools race to reopen classrooms on NewsLine Philippines - Building Information Highway for the Community
DAVAO CITY (July 23) — For students in disaster-hit Jose Abad Santos, going back to school is more than returning to their classrooms—it is a return to normal life after weeks of earthquakes, floods and landslides.
The Department of Education (DepEd) is now racing to repair damaged schools and keep children learning as communities in Davao Occidental recover from a string of disasters that battered the province.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara led an on-site inspection of severely damaged schools in Jose Abad Santos on Monday, July 20, as the department moved to fast-track repairs and provide temporary learning spaces.
“Napakalinaw ng direktiba ng ating Pangulong Bongbong Marcos: hindi pwedeng maghintay ang edukasyon, kaya dapat nating maibalik sa normal ang sitwasyon dito sa lalong madaling panahon,” Angara said.
“Nandito tayo para tiyakin na tuluy-tuloy ang pag-aaral ng mga bata sa kabila ng krisis,” he added.
The children’s schooling was disrupted by a series of disasters beginning with the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Mindanao on June 8, followed by flash floods and landslides in Jose Abad Santos on July 10 and 14 amid the southwest monsoon and Typhoon Inday.
Another magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on July 14, further disrupting classes and forcing communities to evacuate.
The damage to schools has been extensive.
At Emeliano S. Fontanares Sr. National High School in Barangay Sugal, eight classrooms were totally destroyed, six sustained major damage and two suffered minor damage. The school gymnasium and concrete perimeter fence also collapsed.
One teacher and 10 students were injured, although no deaths were reported.
Sugal was also among the communities hardest hit by flooding, with houses swept away by floodwaters.
At Edna Guillermo Memorial National High School in Barangay Nuing, 31 classrooms were destroyed and three sustained major damage, affecting 780 students.
Butulan Elementary School also lost seven classrooms completely, while two others sustained minor damage. The school is now doubling as an evacuation center for families displaced by the disasters.
Keeping children learning
With damaged buildings and displaced families adding to the crisis, DepEd is turning to immediate repairs and temporary learning facilities.
The department has released P3.51 million for emergency ground operations—P2.061 million for cleanup and clearing activities and P1.449 million for minor repairs.
Davao Occidental has also been placed among the priority areas for Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS), temporary facilities designed to help children continue their education while damaged classrooms are being repaired.
DepEd plans to establish 77 LCS units in 23 sites across Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos, Malita, Santa Maria and Sarangani.
For children who have seen their homes and schools damaged, however, recovery is not only about rebuilding walls and roofs.
DepEd also conducted Psychological First Aid sessions for students and teachers at Edna Guillermo Memorial National High School to help them cope with the fear, stress and emotional trauma brought by the disasters.
The department said it is coordinating with local governments, the Department of the Interior and Local Government, and health authorities for continuing relief operations, engineering assessments and the development of more climate-resilient school facilities.
Angara was joined during the inspection by Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, and Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon.
For communities in Jose Abad Santos, the race now is not simply to rebuild damaged schools.
It is to make sure that, despite the disasters, children can find their way back to learning—and back to a sense of normalcy.
The post After quakes and floods, Davao Occidental schools race to reopen classrooms appeared first on NewsLine Philippines.
After quakes and floods, Davao Occidental schools race to reopen classrooms
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