Navy says its school design built for 400-kph winds

LOAY, BOHOL—The Navy is constructing two school buildings, designed to withstand quakes and strong winds, in a town devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in Eastern Samar and another struck by a 7.2-magnitude quake in Bohol province.

The buildings are partly funded by donations from at least 23,000 Navy personnel, who each gave up one day’s worth of their meal allowances, and donations from other sources, like the Philippine Navy Officers’ Wives Association Inc. (PNOWA).

Adm. Jose Alano, Navy chief, said the school buildings, designed by Navy engineers, could withstand winds of up to 400 kilometers per hour and would be quake resilient.

“These are good structures and we ensure that they can withstand any calamity,” Alano said during the groundbreaking of the school building project in Loay town, Bohol.

A groundbreaking ceremony for another school building project was held at the same time in Guiuan town, Eastern Samar, where Yolanda first made landfall on Nov. 8 last year.

The Navy has raised P2.7 million for the projects.

The Navy chose as project beneficiaries Alegria Elementary School in Barangay Alegria Sur in Loay, Bohol, and Barbo Elementary School in Guiuan, Eastern Samar.

Alano said the funds would be used to purchase materials for the construction. Labor would be provided free by personnel of the Naval Construction Brigade of the Navy, composed of skilled workers and engineers.

Alano said the funds for the project were pooled from donations by at least 23,000 Navy sailors and marines who gave up a day’s worth of their mess, or food, allowance, and donations from PNOWA and other private groups.

Alano said the Navy planned to build more school buildings in other areas hit by Yolanda and the quake.

He said that aside from school buildings, the Navy also planned to build multipurpose shelters. The Navy has built multipurpose shelters in Davao Oriental, one of the areas in Mindanao worst hit by another storm, Typhoon “Pablo.”