DISASTER RESILIENCE | Dinagat Islands solon seeks building of disaster-resilient classrooms

September 13, 2022 , 03:48 PM

By Clarist Zablan

(September 13, 2022) – The congressman of Dinagat Islands on Tuesday stressed the need for the government to build disaster-resilient schools after a powerful typhoon in 2021 destroyed school buildings in northeastern Mindanao island province.

At the basic education and culture committee hearing in the Lower House, Alan Ecleo said the frequent need to rebuild and repair schools after a disaster strikes has been taking away funds that could have been used for supporting education and other purposes such as building evacuation centers and polling stations.

“While I salute and honor the endurance and perseverance of my people, we cannot simply applaud their resilience,” Ecleo said. “We must help build and strengthen it. And we can only do this by learning from our past and applying them to our present.”

Last month, Ecleo filed a resolution urging the Departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and Education (DepEd) to enter into an agreement to establish and implement a disaster-resilient design for all elementary and secondary schools in the country.

DepEd spokesman Michael Poa said the education department is asking for an additional P16 billion funding for 2022 to repair schools that have been damaged or destroyed by Typhoons Odette and, more recently, Agaton.

They also needed another P1.7 billion to repair those that were hit by the earthquake in northern Luzon, the department said.

Ecleo said, in Dinagat Islands, one of the hardest hit provinces by Typhoon Odette last year, 85% of classrooms were totally damaged by the powerful typhoon.

With 354 classrooms needing to be replaced and 107 more that needed repairs, the disaster cost DepEd at least P1.7 billion in the rehabilitation of schools, including the procurement of necessary materials and equipment, the lawmaker said.

“We cannot simply rebuild our schools and then wait for the next calamity to knock it down. We need to ensure that what we build in place of what was lost will last longer and stand stronger than what came before,” he said.

The Philippines is also one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the climate crisis, as the rising sea temperature has been found to create stronger typhoons over the recent years.

In his inaugural State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has promised to raise the country’s disaster resiliency and push for the “disaster-proof planning” of communities in light of the impacts of the climate crisis.

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