Marcos pushes for disaster-resilient school buildings

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Elementary School in Batac City in this file photo taken on October 30, 2023. Screengrab from RTVM livestream

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday said he wants further emphasis on the quality of school buildings being constructed amid worsening natural calamities.

During the Basic Education Report 2024, Marcos commended the Department of Education (DepEd) for managing to rebuild classrooms despite bureaucracy and bottlenecks.

“As you build and repair classrooms, let us be mindful [that] storms and earthquakes are not getting any less frequent and neither are they getting any weaker. That is why we are putting more emphasis on the quality of schools that we build,” said Marcos in his speech.

READ: Marcos orders release of funds to repair school buildings in Misamis Oriental

“Nagbabago na ang panahon, kaya kailangan na rin magbago ang ating pamamaraan ng konstruksyon, hindi lang sa mga paaralan kung hindi sa lahat ng proyektong imprastruktura,” he added.

(The seasons are changing, so the way we do construction needs to change, not just in schools but for all infrastructure.)

Moreover, Marcos said that it was not just school buildings that should not be delayed, but books, furniture, and other learning tools as well.

According to Education Secretary and Vice President Sara Duterte, the DepEd was able to build at least 3,600 new classrooms.

“In 2023, we built a total of 3,637 new classrooms. Additionally, 6,203 classrooms are in various stages of construction, while 811 classrooms are already under procurement,” said Duterte in her report.