Majority of the 1,280 classrooms under rehabilitation are almost completed, with the facilities in 151 public schools to be turned over by April 22, 2022, the Department of Education (DepEd) Catanduanes Schools Division reported recently.
According to the report dated Feb. 28, 2022, contractors undertaking the repair and rehabilitation of classrooms damaged by super typhoon Rolly in 2020 are running ahead of schedule, with projects in 123 schools having accomplishments of at least 90 percent.
Only 11 individual projects have negative slippages, the same report stated.
The classroom repair and rehabilitation projects are funded under the CY2021 Basic Education Facilities Fund (BEFF), CY2021 Quick Response Fund, CY2021 Quick Response Fund & Basic Savings, and CY2021 BEFF Savings in the total amount of P705 million.
Public schools in Virac account for majority of classrooms being rehabilitated with 483 in 46 schools, followed by San Andres (176 in 25 schools), Baras (154 in 20 schools), San Miguel (144 in 20 schools), Bato (103 in 10 schools), Gigmoto (65 in six schools), Viga (51 in seven schools), Bagamanoc (30 in four schools), Caramoran (29 in six schools), Pandan (24 in three schools), and Panganiban (21 in four schools).
One two-classroom school buildings are being constructed at San Miguel Elementary School in Baras and Dugui San Isidro ES in Virac at a total cost of P15.5 million under the CY2020 Last Mile School program.
For 2022, 71 health facilities will be built at a total cost of P8.2 million, as follows: Bagamanoc (11), Baras (14), Bato (14), Gigmoto (7), Panganiban (10) and San Miguel (15).
Sixteen more classrooms in Bato (11) and Bagamanoc (5) will be rehabilitated this year for P11 million under the CY2022 BEFF, with 12 more slated in Gigmoto (4), Bato (4) and Viga (4) under the CY2022 Last Mile School program for P49 million.
School Furniture costing a total of P2.5 million are being procured for Bote Integrated School in Bato and Panganiban National High School, the report added.
Under the DepEd Devolution Transition Plan for CY2022, the 1st to 4th class municipalities of Virac, San Andres, Viga, Pandan and Caramoran will now fund the construction of school buildings and handle site validation and assessment, procurement, implementation of actual construction, completion and turnover of the school building.
The LGUs will likewise assist in securing site ownership documents and issue necessary permits for construction.
For its part, DepEd will prepare the priority list of schools, training and capacity building, and provision of service delivery standards.
For the 5th and 6th class municipalities of Bagamanoc, Baras, Bato, Gigmoto, Panganiban and San Miguel, DepEd will provide the funding for the school building construction and implement the same through the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The same report stated that the Catanduanes schools division has a classroom shortage of 348 and needs to construct 93 classrooms in Last Mile Schools as well as repair 422 classrooms and construct 277 health facilities.
The division’s three-year budget proposal for 2023-2025 allocates P145 million to address classroom shortage, P700 million for Last Mile Schools, P111 million for classroom repair, and P63 million for health facilities, enough to close the gap in requirements in low-income areas.
It may be recalled that super typhoon Rolly’s rampage in southern Catanduanes on Nov. 1, 2020 totally damaged 409 classrooms, with another 1,114 sustaining major damage while 702 had minor damage.
The destroyed classrooms were in Bagamanoc (1), Baras (46), Bato (60), Caramoran (14), Gigmoto (6), Pandan (18), Panganiban (14), San Andres (66), San Miguel (47), Viga (27), and Virac (110).
On the other hand, the classrooms with major damage were in: Bagamanoc (29), Baras (75), Bato (138), Caramoran (47), Gigmoto (30), Pandan (59), Panganiban (10), San Andres (176), San Miguel (90), Viga (74), and Virac (386).
According to DepEd’s damage assessment made shortly after the calamity, it said that a total of P2.2 billion was needed for the schools to be made operational again, based on the estimated budget of P3 million per classroom replacement, P850,000 for the repair of major damage and P50,000 for minor damage.