P128M set for repair of school damaged by plane crash

The Department of Budget and Management has approved the release of P128 million for the immediate reconstruction of 80 classrooms that were damaged after a plane crashed at the F. Serrano Elementary School in December last year.

Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said the program will be sourced from the 2011 calamity fund, adding that the Department of Edcuation’s Quick Response Fund has already been programmed for other reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.

An entire building in the said elementary school campus was gutted after a five-seat aircraft crashed and burst into flames early December.

“A thorough evaluation by the DepEd found irreparable damage to the building, which then had to be completely demolished. Given that, we need to quickly allocate funding toward the reconstruction of the whole school,” Abad said.

“We are now fast-tracking the release of funds to begin the construction as soon as possible,” he added.

Abad said the reconstruction should sufficiently accommodate the school’s 2,652 grade school pupils.

“We will build enough rooms so the school administration can conduct a single-shift program for its students, instead of putting them on the usual double shift,” Abad said.

“Once the reconstruction is finished, classes will be back to normal and students can have a school environment more conducive to learning,” he added.