Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 10) — Abra’s Lone District Rep. Menchie Bernos has called for the postponement of face-to-face classes in the province, which is still reeling from last month’s magnitude 7 earthquake.
With classes set to resume in a few weeks, Bernos said there are still more than 600 classrooms across 89 schools that were severely affected by the tremor.
“It is a more prudent and safer option for schools that were severely affected by the earthquake be excluded from the implementation of this face-to-face classes,” Bernos told a House Special Committee Hearing on the North Luzon Growth Quadrangle.
“To give us more time to recover from this disaster and to rehabilitate the necessary infrastructure like school building, roads, and bridges for students and teachers,” he added.
According to Education Assistant Secretary Cesar Bringas, there is a window time allotted for distance learning from Aug. 22 to Oct. 31.
On repairs and reconstruction of facilities, the Department of Education (DepEd) admitted it has already used up the ₱2-billion quick response fund (QRF) earmarked for calamities and disasters.
“With regards to classroom repairs, wala pa kaming pondo [we still don’t have the money] to completely address the concern of the damaged classroom due to typhoon (earthquake),” Bringas said.
DepEd plans to pool savings from discontinued programs from 2021 and 2022 while also asking for additional budget from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to cover repair costs.
“That is why for 2023 we have actually been requesting the DBM na taasan ceiling namin [to increase our ceiling] for QRF – ₱2 billion palang ulit sa [still for] 2023 – we are requesting higher allocation for QRF,” Bringas added.
DepEd has yet to identify the amount needed to rehabilitate schools affected by the quake all over the country.
It said there are 429 schools in the Cordillera Region that need reconstruction and repair. An estimated ₱1.76 billion is needed to cover the costs in the region alone.
