At least 108 students lost five classrooms to a fire that gutted the Sta. Cruz Elementary School in Masantol town in Pampanga province as Super Typhoon Karding lashed Luzon on Sunday (Sept. 25) night. (Contributed photo)
MANILA, Philippines — The cost of repairing schools damaged by Super Typhoon Karding (international name: Noru) may reach P112 million, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).
As of Sept. 26, the agency’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service said, a total of 20 schools from the Cordillera Administrative Region, National Capital Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, and Bicol Region have reported damage.
A total of 21,509 schools with more than 12 million learners, including students whose classes were suspended, have been affected by the typhoon in the eight regions of Luzon, including Calabarzon and Mimaropa.
Out of the 327 schools earlier converted into shelters, 259 still had evacuees as of Monday.
Under the recently issued DepEd Order No. 37, which revised the guidelines on class suspensions, schools may serve as evacuation sites for not more than 15 days.
Donation drive
At Sta. Lucia High School in Quezon City, the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) launched the “Tulong Guro” donation drive and relief operations on Tuesday to help teachers and students in the typhoon-hit areas.
The school served as an evacuation center for flood-stricken residents in nearby communities. Together with some donors, ACT donated food packs, school supplies, hygiene kits and a photocopying machine for the school.
Dana Beltran, the ACT deputy secretary general, said donations “can only do so much” and “more substantive response” from the government was needed.
ACT plans to conduct relief operations in some schools in Central Luzon. It is accepting cash donations through the following accounts: PNB account No. 1086 1000 8286 (Alliance of Concerned Teachers); Landbank account No. 1725 1070 79 (Annariza Alzate); and GCash No. 0933 853-9400 or 0995 925-2245.
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