Marcos wants electrical safety checks in schools to prevent fires

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. inspects the fire-damaged San Francisco High School in Quezon City on Wednesday to assess the situation before being briefed on the ongoing efforts to ensure that the incident would not affect the students who were enrolled in the school. The fire came barely two days after the opening of classes.

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday emphasized the need to inspect the electrical safety of schools to ensure they are protected against fire hazards.

He made the statement after inspecting a school building at San Francisco High School in Quezon City, which was engulfed by fire on Sunday, a day before the opening of classes for School Year 2025–2026.

READ: Fire burns a high school canteen in Quezon City

“As usual, the problem is electrical again. That’s why we need to keep a close watch on it,” Marcos said in a chance interview, referring to the fire-damaged building.

Based on his observation, many school buildings and facilities are already outdated, with electrical systems that are being overloaded by computers, electric fans, and air conditioners, leading to fire incidents.

“We also have to look into other schools and make sure that, at the very least, they have proper fuse boxes to prevent the electrical system from overloading,” he said.

Marcos directed the Department of Public Works and Highways to reconstruct the fire-damaged school building.

He also assured that the destroyed learning and teaching materials would be replaced./mcm /das