Quake-hit schools need P940M for repairs

HEAVY DAMAGE The four-story, 20-classroom building used by senior high school students of Candon National High School in Candon City is among the structures heavily damaged in Ilocos Sur province when a magnitude 7 earthquake struck northern Luzon on Wednesday morning. —LEONCIO BALBIN JR.

At least P940 million is needed for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of schools damaged by the magnitude 7 earthquake that rocked northern Luzon on Wednesday, the Department of Education (DepEd) said.

According to the initial rapid assessment of DepEd’s disaster risk reduction and management service on Thursday, 164 schools in 26 schools division offices from Luzon had infrastructure damage in the aftermath of the earthquake that struck Abra and nearby provinces.

The agency said 11 schools in Central Luzon, nine schools in Cagayan Valley, eight from the Cordillera and seven in the Ilocos were also damaged.

But data from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) showed that at least 212 schools in the Ilocos region alone were damaged while 15 more schools were destroyed by the quake.

Mark Masudog, the OCD information officer in the Ilocos, said DepEd continues to determine the extent of damage caused by the quake to the public schools in the region.

He said that DepEd was carefully assessing to ensure that the enrollment process for the next school year set to start in August would not be hampered.

Among the badly hit schools were Pacpaca Elementary School in Luba and Maguyep Integrated School in Sallapadan, both in Abra; and Sto. Tomas National High School in Baguio City.

DepEd spokesperson Michael Poa said the agency currently only has funds to cover school cleanup drives and temporary learning spaces.

Additional funds

“Once we have determined the actual amount needed to repair the damaged infrastructures, we will also consider the option of requesting additional funding from the [Department of Budget and Management], if necessary,” he said in a message to reporters.

DepEd for this year has a total approved budget of P591 billion, of which it could tap on its P98-billion maintenance and other operating expenses and P20-billion capital outlay to fund the repair and construction of school buildings.

Records from DepEd show there are 9,539 affected schools or those schools in areas with reported and instrumental intensity in the earthquake information of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or were reported to have casualties.

Aside from the three most affected regions, the earthquake was also felt in Metro Manila and Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) and Bicol regions.

At least 16 schools divisions covering 3,536 schools in the Ilocos and Cordillera regions have announced work suspensions starting July 27. DepEd has yet to announce when work will resume in these areas. —WITH A REPORT FROM JOHN MICHAEL MUGAS

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