BAGUIO CITY – The Department of Education (DepEd) and Commission on Elections (Comelec) have joined hands to prepare the three classrooms that remained after a fire hit the Dangdangla Elementary School in Bangued, Abra on Wednesday, for the May 12 polls.
DepEd, Comelec join hands to restore burned voting center in Abra
The classrooms will serve as voting precincts for some 900 individuals.
“The parents, community will join the cleanup of the debris for the safety of the voters,” said Amador Garcia, Schools Division Superintendent of Abra, in an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday.
He said that 70 percent of the structures caught fire in the incident, the cause of which is still under investigation.
Garcia said they asked the Bureau of Fire Protection to fast-track the investigation and find out the cause of the fire for legal, administrative, or rehabilitative actions.
Burned down were four buildings with seven classrooms, along with eight laptops, 13 television sets, two projectors, a set of sound system, two portable speakers, 20 electric fans, 10 printers, learning materials, school records, and tables and chairs.
Garcia said he was glad of Comelec Chairperson Erwin Garcia’s pronouncement that the voting place would not be transferred.
He said the three classrooms did not catch fire, but room safety should be ensured.
Comelec-Cordillera Director Julius Torres said voters would cast their ballots in the same voting center, and a covered court would be used as a temporary holding area.
Torres said they are committed to restoring and preparing the three classrooms in time for Monday's elections.
“Linisan, ipa-check ang stability at mag install ng kuryente na gagamitin sa election (Clean, check the stability and install power needed for the election),” he said.
Torres pointed out that no election supplies were affected by the fire.
Dr. Estela Cariño, DepEd-CAR director, said in a private message that the estimated cost of damage is being finalized, and they would immediately seek the national office’s help for the restoration of the burned structures.
Garcia said they might resort to using temporary learning spaces for the more than 100 learners from kindergarten to Grade 6 who are enrolled at the Dangdangla Elementary School.
He added that they might look for some nearby buildings that can be used by the children for their classes, along with excess learning materials from other schools in Bangued District.
Likewise, he said that they might resort to alternative delivery modes (ADM) of learning to avoid disruption of classes.