Iloilo city: Concerned government agencies are being urged to immediately conduct structural assessments, repair, and rehabilitation of public school buildings in Iloilo City that were affected by the earthquake in September last year. The call was made by Councilor Sedfrey Cabaluna through three resolutions he sponsored during the regular session of the Sangguniang Panlungsod (city council) on Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Cabaluna highlighted that some schools in the city are implementing half-day or double-shift schedules to accommodate learners due to the damage caused by the earthquake. The Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division Office of Iloilo City has identified 14 schools with post-earthquake structural concerns. However, as of now, only four schools have undergone structural assessments, with three cleared and the remaining schools still awaiting testing. This situation leaves students and teachers in a state of uncertainty and compromised learning conditions.
Cabaluna urged the concerned government agencies to prioritize the repair and rehabilitation of school buildings declared temporarily unusable, including the PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.) 1 building of Iloilo National High School, and the Junior High School building of Iloilo City National High School, to restore safe and functional learning environments. The PAGCOR 1 building was declared temporarily unusable and in need of further testing and evaluation by the Office of the Building Official in its report in October last year. The building houses 20 classrooms serving 20 classes, each with around 40 to 45 students, displacing more than 800 students directly.
In another resolution, the city council called on the DepEd to implement measures to address learning gaps caused by the double-shift. The double-shift schedule has reduced learning time, with students attending classes for only half a day, resulting in rushed lessons, compressed assessments, heavier take-home workloads, and learning gaps that may persist for years. Cabaluna recommended implementing the Accelerated Learning Program for Numeracy and Literacy to address these gaps, alongside remedial and enrichment classes, targeted reading interventions, and teacher training to close the performance gap.
Additionally, Cabaluna authored a third resolution for the council's committees on education and engineering to jointly investigate the structural and learning challenges of public schools in the city and recommend appropriate solutions. He also received information that La Paz National High School, Bo. Obrero National High School, and Mandurriao National High School are implementing shifting of classes due to a lack of classrooms, though not directly related to the earthquake incidents last year.
