Fund lack hampers repairs of typhoon-hit schools

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Repairs in typhoon-damaged public schools in Luzon have yet to begin because the Department of Education (DepEd) doesn’t have enough funds, an official of the department’s engineering office said.

DepEd deputy chief engineer Luis Purisima Jr. said the department has raised less than half of the P453.5 million needed for repairs in schools damaged by Typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” about a month and a half ago.  It needs an additional P205.7 million.

He said school divisions have already pooled some P186.12 million worth of savings from the last two years and the remaining P120 million from the department’s Quick Response Fund (QRF) but it’s still not enough.

“There are no actual repairs yet in the field, but we have told divisions that they could start procurement (of some construction supplies),” the engineer told the Inquirer.

DepEd has requested the Department of Budget and Management to release the QRF for the repair effort on Oct. 12.  DBM officially received the request on Nov. 9, or almost a month after DepEd’s typhoon damage assessment, he said.

“Right now we are prioritizing which areas really need repairs, for instance schools that need additional classrooms,” Purisima said.

According to DepEd, typhoons “Pedring” and “Quiel” in late September and early October damaged some 1,026 schools, mostly elementary schools in Central Luzon and Region 2.

Of these schools, 499 reported major structural damage, including peeled off roofing and damaged walls.

A total of 366 schools reported minor damage, such as broken windows or doors that do not affect the structural integrity of the buildings, Purisima said.

Once fully funded, repair work in schools could be finished within 45 days, the engineer said.

Purisima hopes more funds will be available in the 2012 budget, where DepEd asked for a QRF of P1 billion, or about double the average annual allocation of between P400 and P500 million.