DepEd logs initial 519 classrooms damaged by 'Marce'

BAGUIO CITY – At least 519 classrooms have been damaged by Typhoon Marce (international name Yinxing), according to the Department of Education (DepEd) in the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR).

Based on the report as of Nov. 12, at least 158 classrooms suffered major damage while 361 had minor damage, according to DepEd-Cordillera Public Affairs Unit head Cyrille Gaye Miranda on Thursday.

Abra recorded 97 classrooms with major damage and 192 with minor damage; Apayao has 24 classrooms with major damage and 116 minor damage; Benguet recorded two with minor damage; Kalinga recorded one classroom with major damage and two with minor damage; Mountain Province has 34 classrooms with major damage and 16 with minor damage; and Tabuk City has two classrooms with major damage and 33 with minor damage.

Miranda said they have so far recorded 74 percent submission rate from the different Schools Division Offices (SDOs) in the region, or 1,371 schools of the 1,844 schools in the whole region.

"Hindi pa ito final. Dumarating pa po ang ibang reports (This is not yet final. Reports continue to come in). The engineers will still validate and make the necessary report on the amount of damage as well as the amount needed to restore the facilities," she said in a private message to the Philippine News Agency.

For minor repairs, Miranda said the Quick Response Funds (QRF) may be utilized to immediately make the classrooms available to the learners.

"Those with major damage have to be submitted for funding if the QRF is not sufficient to restore the facilities to their normal condition, ensuring the safety of the teachers and the learners," she said.

Miranda said that based on experience in the past, parents and members of the community do the "binnadang" (helping hand) in fixing and repairing damaged facilities as soon as the weather permits.

"While the department also exerts effort, we are glad that in the Cordillera, we have communities who are very willing to extend a hand especially in fixing minor damage in classrooms so that our children will return to school with comfort," she added.

Since some classrooms cannot be used, Miranda said the regional office will be adopting the national office's recommendation to implement the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) developed by the Central Visayas Institute Foundation to ensure continuation of education in calamity-stricken areas.

The program promotes independent, resource-efficient learning with the use of parallel classes, activity-based engagement, student portfolios, and reduced homework policy. (PNA)