The Department of Education in Western Visayas (DepEd 6) has ordered the assessment of school and office infrastructure facilities following the series of earthquakes, and urged division offices to provide emergency ‘Go Bags’ to their learners and personnel.
In an interview on Tuesday, DepEd Western Visayas information officer Hernani Escullar Jr. said Assistant Regional Director Cristito Eco signed a memorandum on Monday for all division offices to coordinate with their respective counterparts in the Department of Public Works and Highways for a joint validation and assessment of the structural integrity of infrastructures and determine if there is major and minor damage.
“This will somehow provide data and pave the way for the prioritization of the repair, retrofitting and reconstruction works if needed. Also, we can lobby with the central office for possible funds if our budget is not enough,” he said.
The results will also serve as a basis for declaring the building as safe for use.
“The guidelines are a way to ensure that we secure our facilities; it’s a way to secure our learners and personnel once we have in-person classes. In the past three weeks, we felt tremors in the region, and we know that some of our schools, based on initial and unvetted reports, have minor cracks but upon assessment are safe to be utilized by learners,” he added.
Escullar said the division disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) coordinators are expected to submit the results of the inspection on or before Oct. 17.
The memorandum likewise urged schools division offices to provide emergency ‘Go Bags’ for learners and personnel using their 2024 and 2025 disaster preparedness and response program fund.
If not enough, they are advised to coordinate with local government units and other education partners to obtain the needed materials.
“The content of the Go Bag will depend upon the budget of our divisions and will also be determined by their DRRM focal persons,” he said.
Western Visayas has around 964,067 public school learners based on the DepEd’s learning information system, and around 47,000 teaching personnel. (PNA)