INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — A total of P1.134 billion was released by the Philippine government to fund the Department of Education’s (DepEd) conservation and restoration of heritage school buildings.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Mina Pangandaman approved the special allotment release order in early March, emphasizing that the heritage buildings “hold [a] promise of progress.”
READ: How Gabaldon paved way for effective learning
“Let us restore and preserve the dignified spaces of our Gabaldon School Buildings and other heritage structures. Whether nestled in bustling cities or remote provinces, these historic edifices hold the promise of progress,” Pangandaman said in a statement issued Tuesday.
DBM explains that Gabaldon Buildings are “heritage school buildings” in the Philippines that were initially constructed during the colonial period of the United States. Currently, there are 2,045 Gabaldon School Houses across the Philippines.
READ: Funds sought to save Gabaldon buildings
“Together, we forge a path toward a renewed Philippines, leaving no one behind as espoused by President Bongbong Marcos’ vision of a Bagong Pilipinas,” Pangandaman said.
Meanwhile, DBM said the allocated funds will cover the following regions:
- Cordillera Administrative Region
- CARAGA
- National Capital Region (NCR)
- Region I (Ilocos Region)
- Region II (Cagayan Valley)
- Region III (Central Luzon)
- Region IV-A (Calabarzon)
- Region IV-B (Mimaropa)
- Region V (Bicol Region)
- Region VI (Western Visayas)
- Region VII (Central Visayas)
- Regio VIII (Eastern Visayas)
- Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)
- Region X (Northern Mindanao)
- Region XI (Davao Region)
- Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN)
The agency specifically noted that the fund would benefit 654 classrooms in 83 sites across the country.
“The restoration process includes site improvements such as school ground site leveling and grading, with high regard for building safety and integrity, and removal of obstructions and unsafe structures around the Gabaldon building,” said Pangandaman.
Along with the release of the billion-peso fund, DBM tasked DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways to ensure that the heritage buildings are “fully restored” and “not just renovated.”