EDUCATION Secretary Sonny Angara has sought the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways after a news report showed students in Nueva Vizcaya risking their lives to reach their school by crossing a river on steel cables suspended several meters above raging waters.
The news report aired by the regional station of GMA7 last July 17 showed students of Pinayag National High School in Sitio Macdu, Barangay Pinayag, Nueva Vizcaya crossing the river on steel cables in the absence of a bridge damaged by Typhoon Pepito in November 2024.
“In line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to provide safe and resilient learning environments, I am writing to formally request your assistance in addressing the infrastructure needs of this school and similar sites across the country,” Angara said in a letter dated on the same day the report aired and addressed to DPWH Secretary Manuel Bonoan.
“We hope that our agencies will continue to collaborate when it comes to urgent infrastructure needs in our school, especially in disaster-prone or geographically isolated areas,” Angara added.
A similar letter, dated July 6, also addressed to Bonoan, concerns the plight of teachers in Barangay Tinalmod in Pasacao, Camarines Sur, who had to brave flooded trails and muddy terrain that cut off access to their school during the “habagat” or southwest monsoon season.
“Their story is a reflection of the broader infrastructure challenges that persist across our public school system. While we are inspired by the dedication of our teachers, we recognize that long-term solutions are needed to make access to schools safe, regular, and sustainable for learners and teachers,” Angara added.
Last month, Angara said the department will forge stronger ties with the DPWH and local government units to fast-track the construction of more access roads to schools, especially in far-flung areas of the country.
Angara said his office has presented a formal proposal to the DPWH recommending the inclusion of access roads to public schools in the department’s programming and investment plans, especially for newly constructed schools with no access to roads.
Angara said the DepEd, in its proposal, also pointed to DPWH’s successful infrastructure collaborations with other agencies, such as the Tourism Road Infrastructure Program with the Department of Tourism, the Farm-to-Market Road Development Program with the Department of Agriculture, and the Roads Leveraging Linkages of Industry and Trade with the Department of Trade and Industry to make known its case that public schools are also in need of DPWH support not only in the construction of school buildings but also access roads to isolated areas where these schools are located.
To support this push, DepEd is proposing a special provision under its 2026 Basic Education Facilities Fund that all newly constructed school buildings have corresponding access roads with the DPWH and LGUs to immediately include the construction of roads in cases where none are available.
