P363.5M needed to repair damaged Mindanao schools  

Around P363.5 million will be needed to repair and reconstruct 36 Mindanao schools that were damaged by low pressure areas and thunderstorms, the Department of Education (DepEd) said on Monday.

As of Dec. 30, the DepEd’s disaster risk reduction management service (DRRMS) reported that 36 schools—one from Zamboanga Peninsula, 25 from Northern Mindanao and 10 from Caraga—sustained infrastructure damage.

Evacuation centers

Michael Poa, spokesperson for the DepEd, said in a Viber message to reporters that initially 51 schools were being used as evacuation centers, citing the DRRMS report.

“The figures are continuously changing due to decampment on one hand, while in other places it’s increasing,” he said.

In Caraga, the regional director said schools being used as evacuation centers have increased because of the continuous rains and flooding in some areas.

8 students injured

There are currently 86 schools being used as evacuation sites in their region as of Monday, Poa said, adding that “we will probably have a clearer picture in a couple of days.”

“As to learners, [there are] no reports of casualties in terms of death or missing,” he said.

However, eight students were reported to have sustained injuries while 2,548 learners were displaced.

“On the part of DepEd, we will be providing response interventions to affected schools, learners and personnel,” Poa said. INQ

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