DILG orders LGUs to preserve Gabaldon school buildings
By AJ Siytangco
Published Feb 13, 2019 10:38 am
By Chito Chavez
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered all local government units (LGUs) to support the Department of Education (DepEd) in the preservation and protection of Gabaldon school buildings in their respective areas.
DILG Assistant Secretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya
(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) Gabaldon buildings are those designed by American Architect William Parsons and funded through the Gabaldon Law or Act No. 1801 authored by Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of Nueva Ecija. The law provided funding for the building of public schools in the country in the 1900s. DILG Assistant Secretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya explained that under Republic Act 11194 or the Gabaldon School Buildings Conservation Act signed on January 18, 2019, LGUs are mandated to provide DepEd with the necessary assistance in the implementation of any conservation projects as the law prohibits “any modification, alteration, destruction, demolition, or relocation of Gabaldon school buildings.” “So many of our Gabaldon school buildings have been destroyed while some of those remaining have been modified to such a degree that the original elements are no longer recognizable. While the buildings are DepEd property, the LGUs are partly to blame for their deterioration,” he said. Malaya insisted that “local governments should ensure that such heritage schools are preserved because they are part and parcel of our national heritage.’’ Malaya said LGUs “should refuse funds for the renovation of Gabaldon school buildings that do not follow conservation rules.” Section 4 of RA 11194 states that all Gabaldon school buildings shall be recognized as built heritage and will be included as part of cultural properties under the National Cultural Heritage Act. The DILG also asked the LGUs to assist DepEd and other concerned agencies of the government in the conduct of an inventory of all Gabaldon school buildings, whether fully functional or condemned, in all public elementary and secondary schools, as mandated by the law. Under RA 11194, the DepEd, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the National Museum shall “implement a program for the identification and conservation of all Gabaldon school buildings nationwide.” Latest records showed there are still about 1,446 Gabaldon school buildings in the Philippines but many of them have been renovated.
DILG Assistant Secretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya(PCOO / MANILA BULLETIN) Gabaldon buildings are those designed by American Architect William Parsons and funded through the Gabaldon Law or Act No. 1801 authored by Assemblyman Isauro Gabaldon of Nueva Ecija. The law provided funding for the building of public schools in the country in the 1900s. DILG Assistant Secretary and spokesman Jonathan Malaya explained that under Republic Act 11194 or the Gabaldon School Buildings Conservation Act signed on January 18, 2019, LGUs are mandated to provide DepEd with the necessary assistance in the implementation of any conservation projects as the law prohibits “any modification, alteration, destruction, demolition, or relocation of Gabaldon school buildings.” “So many of our Gabaldon school buildings have been destroyed while some of those remaining have been modified to such a degree that the original elements are no longer recognizable. While the buildings are DepEd property, the LGUs are partly to blame for their deterioration,” he said. Malaya insisted that “local governments should ensure that such heritage schools are preserved because they are part and parcel of our national heritage.’’ Malaya said LGUs “should refuse funds for the renovation of Gabaldon school buildings that do not follow conservation rules.” Section 4 of RA 11194 states that all Gabaldon school buildings shall be recognized as built heritage and will be included as part of cultural properties under the National Cultural Heritage Act. The DILG also asked the LGUs to assist DepEd and other concerned agencies of the government in the conduct of an inventory of all Gabaldon school buildings, whether fully functional or condemned, in all public elementary and secondary schools, as mandated by the law. Under RA 11194, the DepEd, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, and the National Museum shall “implement a program for the identification and conservation of all Gabaldon school buildings nationwide.” Latest records showed there are still about 1,446 Gabaldon school buildings in the Philippines but many of them have been renovated.