Angara wants disaster-resilient schools constructed

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EDUCATION Secretary Sonny Angara yesterday said the department would push for the construction of disaster-resilient schools through the Public Private Partnership program.

Angara issued the remark during the groundbreaking of the country’s first 12-story public school building in Cebu designed to withstand severe weather conditions.

“Tututukan natin ang pagpapatayo ng mga disaster-resilient facilities sa ating schools, lalo na sa mga lubhang naapektuhan ng mga bagyo noong nakaraang taon. Our facilities must have structural integrity to withstand stronger typhoons and earthquakes (We will focus on the construction of more disaster-resilient facilities in our schools, especially in areas damaged by typhoons last year. Our facilities must have structural integrity to withstand stronger typhoons and earthquakes). ,” Angara said.

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Angara also noted that DepEd’s agreement with the PPP Center late last year will fast-track efforts to address classroom shortages.

The construction of 15,000 classrooms will begin this year, benefiting 1,600 schools in nine regions.

Aside from constructing more disaster-resilient schools, Angara also stressed the urgent need to increase the Quick Response Fund (QRF) to ensure the immediate repair and reconstruction of damaged schools.

“Our current Quick Response Fund is simply not enough to address the scale of destruction we face each year. If we want to rebuild quickly and effectively, we need more resources,” Angara said, citing EDCOM II’s Year 2 report on the agency’s lack of QRF which hampers its ability to respond effectively to disasters.

DepEd data showed that in 2024 alone, 1,855 schools were affected by various calamities, requiring P6.6 billion for classroom repairs and P6.3 billion to replace 1,846 classrooms.

However, DepEd’s QRF, which has been increased to P3 billion annually, remains insufficient to meet these demands.

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