Quake damage to schools reaches close to P4 billion

Local

THE magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck northern Cebu on Sept. 30 has taken a heavy toll on the education sector.

Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, regional director of the Department of Education Central Visayas (DepEd-7), said that as of Monday, Oct. 13, estimated nearly P4 billion in losses, a sharp rise from the P1-billion estimate he gave last week.

Speaking at the Openline News Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 14, Salustiano said around 200 public schools across northern Cebu sustained varying degrees of damage.

Based on DepEd’s ongoing assessment, over 500 classrooms were totally destroyed, more than 700 sustained major structural damage, and around 2,000 had minor damage.

Several division offices in northern Cebu were also affected.

Jimenez said the extent of destruction was even greater than that caused by Typhoon Odette in 2022, despite the earthquake affecting a smaller area.

He noted that the earthquake caused widespread devastation within a concentrated zone, severely disrupting the delivery of education in the affected districts.

“Learning must continue even with a crisis,” Jimenez said, as DepEd moves to implement Alternative Delivery Modes (ADM) through self-learning modules distributed to students in damaged schools.

Learners will not be required to complete all modules to protect them from stress and trauma, while teachers have been instructed to focus on light reading and activities to maintain engagement.

DepEd-7 is also establishing Temporary Learning Spaces (TLS) in the hardest-hit areas to ensure classes continue while schools undergo repairs.

Each TLS costs around P1.5 million to construct, with additional units provided to schools that require multiple classrooms.

The education community continues to grieve the loss of 13 individuals, of which one teacher and 12 students, who were killed in the earthquake.

Of the 12 students, eight were from Bogo City and four from other municipalities in Cebu Province.

Financial assistance from the DepEd-7 and personal contributions has been extended to the families of the victims.

Relief goods from the DepEd Central Office and the regional office will also be distributed next week to teachers affected by the quake.

More than 50,000 students and 1,421 teaching and non-teaching personnel were impacted across the province, including 887 in Bogo City.

DepEd has conducted psychological first aid and debriefing sessions for teachers before the resumption of classes and has imposed a two-month moratorium on loan repayments under its Provident Fund for personnel in affected areas.

Teachers whose homes were damaged may also apply for new assistance loans, and the agency has temporarily relaxed rules on daily time records in affected localities.

To recover lost school days, DepEd-7 is considering the use of buffer days and extended class hours for the 2025–2026 school year, the first under the return to the June-to-March academic calendar.

Jimenez said rehabilitation efforts are now being coordinated with Local School Boards and local governments, which may use their Special Education Fund to finance urgent repairs.

The Department of Public Works and Highways will handle reconstruction through the Quick Response Fund after debris clearing operations.(MyTVCebu)