Roxas city: The Department of Education in Western Visayas (DepEd-6) is currently consolidating reports from schools across the region that sustained damage or were destroyed by Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi). “We have 20 classrooms with minor damages, seven with major damages and 15 classrooms that are deemed to be totally damaged,” DepEd-6 information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. said in an interview.
According to Philippines News Agency, the destroyed classrooms were all from Roxas City. Additionally, one WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) facility, 275 learning materials, and four information and communications technology equipment were also damaged. Classrooms with minor damage can be repaired using the miscellaneous and other operating expenses of schools, while they can ask for augmentation from their division offices for those with major damage.
“These are subject to vetting because they are based on initial information coming from our school heads. They are yet to be assessed by our coordinators in the field,” Escullar explained. He also stated that school heads are authorized to make necessary adjustments in classes by utilizing other rooms or implementing multi-shift schedules to ensure uninterrupted learning.
On Wednesday, DepEd-6 OIC Regional Director Cristito Eco convened all school division heads and disaster risk reduction focal persons to assess the situation and ensure the safety of learners as they return to school. As of Thursday, Escullar noted that only seven municipalities in the region have suspended in-person classes. These include Tobias, Hamtic, Anini-y, and San Jose in Antique; and Panitan, Mambusao, and Sigma in Capiz.
“All of these were declared by their respective local government units. We abide by the guidelines coming from our LGUs regarding the suspension of in-person and resumption of classes. We want to make sure that our learners are safe,” Escullar added. The suspension covered 132 schools with 35,394 learners in Antique, and 86 schools with 21,065 learners in Capiz.
