It has come to our attention that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released a quick response fund amounting to P600 million for the repair and rehabilitation of schools damaged by the onslaught of Typhoon Glenda. To verify this information, we conducted an interview with Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali on our back-to-back programs Kasangga Mo Ang Langit and IZ Balita Nationwide that airs nationwide every 6-8AM on DWIZ 882khz and RPN9 ally stations.
However, Asec. Umali declined to comment about the alleged fund. “I am not familiar with this issue, only about the damages brought about by Glenda,” he said.
REPORTS ON DAMAGES
According to Asec. Umali, school division chiefs around the country are preparing reports on the damage sustained by the schools in their areas. “We have been collecting these reports and they are now almost complete. More or less 157 schools were used as evacuation centers in CAR, CARAGA, NCR, Regions 1, 3, 4A, 4B, 5, and 8. The total number of schools affected are more or less 25,866 in 116 school divisions,” he said.
ON MAKE UP CLASSES
For make up classes, Asec. Umali explained that just as long as the non-negotiable 180 days of student-teacher contact are observed, there is no need to conduct make up classes. “Classes were only suspended for 2-3 days on the average. So as long as they still have leftover or buffer days for the usual 200-day school year, there is no need to conduct make up classes. The only time when extended afternoon or Saturday classes have to be conducted is when these buffer days have already been used up,” he said.
OTHER SCHOOL SITUATIONS
Schools are also used as evacuation centers in times like these. Asec. Umalis said that evacuees are never asked to leave the centers until they are ready to do so. This is why local governments usually suspend classes. However, during the aftermath, how do they keep classes going in these areas? “We look for classrooms with no people in it to conduct classes. We do what we can to keep education going,” he said.
“When the situation calls for it, we conduct double shifting of classes or ask the evacuees to temporarily relocate to tents we have set up during the day when classes are going to be held. At the end of the day, they return to the classrooms that function as their temporary homes,” he added.
BAYANIHAN
It was also a good thing that the DepEd was able to tap the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) of the different schools to help with the cleanup. “They are usually very helpful in clearing the damage and cleaning up,” he said.
Now, the focus of the rehabilitation are Regions 4A and 4B that suffered the most devastation from Typhoon Glenda. The quick response fund will act as a revolving fund that is to be replenished as needed, according to DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro.
As is the hope of many, we hope that the funds really do go to where they should so that our schools can be fixed as soon as possible. We have no need of the traditional under-the-mango-tree classes here.
QUOTABLE QUOTE
God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform. He plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm. —William Cowper
Photo credit: San Pablo City Website