The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Catanduanes has proposed for funding under its 2023 Quick Reaction Fund (QRF) its P215 million proposal for the repair of school buildings destroyed or damaged by super typhoon Rolly three years ago that have remained unrepaired until now.
The other Sunday, Jan. 7, 2023, Catanduanes District Engineer Dennis Cagomoc submitted the documents to DPWH Bicol Regional Director Virgilio Eduarte, who was in Virac that day to lead the blessing and inauguration of Typhoon-Resilient Building donated by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE)-Project Green Engineering Philippines (PGEP) to the JMA Poniton Elementary School.
In his message, RD Eduarte disclosed that the department allocated P5 billion for the repair of school buildings under the 2023 QRF, with the 16 district engineers in Bicol advised to avail of the funding for the repair and rehabilitation of calamity-damaged facilities of the Department of Education (DepEd).
He said DepEd division offices were also asked to assist the DPWH district offices by providing the required documents that would be submitted to the central office for approval.
Under the cash-based budgeting, the P5 billion allocation for 2023 will lapse by the end of 2024 and, with an unspent balance of P3 billion, the district engineers were supposed to be the one to request for the funding for their areas.
Eduarte bared that on its own, his office submitted requests for QRF allocation last year as the regulations do not state that only DEs can request funding under the program.
In 2024, another QRF will be available for release but this time for roads and bridges, including local bridges, the regional director stated, but priority will be given to national bridges.
The P215-million request for the rehabilitation and repair of 33 Catanduanes schools already covers the rehabilitation of the two-classroom building of JMA Poniton Elementary School that was unroofed by ST Rolly.
Since classes resumed after the 2020 calamity, the pupils of the school have been attending classes in two Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs).
DepEd School Governance and Operation Division (SGOD) Chief Education Supervisor Mary Jean Romero, who represented Schools Division Supervisor Socorro dela Rosa, expressed great joy upon learning of the QRD funding proposed for Catanduanes schools.
She recalled that sometime after November 2020, officials from the DepEd central office visited the island to assess the damage to public schools, which was estimated to be around P1.2 billion.
However, only P700 million was released to the DPWH for implementation a year later.
“We were expecting that the balance would be released, but we lost hope after other provinces also sustained damage to their schools due to calamities,” Sarmiento stated, adding that until now, many classes are still being held in Temporary Learning Centers.