LARGE cracks on walls and sagging ceilings were observed in school buildings at Emiliano Lizares National High School in Barangay Granada, Bacolod City during an inspection on Tuesday, Oct. 14, after the 5.8-quake on Monday, Oct. 13. (Bacolod Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office)
BACOLOD CITY – Seven public schools in this highly urbanized city sustained damage in the magnitude-5.8 earthquake on Monday, Oct. 13.
Through the Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) conducted on Tuesday, Oct. 14, the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) and Department of Education (DepEd) have developed a color-tagging system to identify and monitor the structural condition of public school buildings across this city.
Based on the assessment results from the inspection team, seven schools were tagged under the Yellow Category, which means they are safe for partial occupancy but require minor to major repairs or partial restrictions.
Thirty-eight others were classified under the Green Category, showing no structural threats or only minor issues, while four schools need further inspection and assessment.
Based on the findings of the five inspection teams, some of the observed defects were old damages that may have been aggravated by the tremor.
One of which was large cracks on walls and sagging ceilings discovered in two-story school buildings at Emiliano Lizares National High School in Barangay Granada.
No schools were classified under the Red Category, or unsafe for occupancy, according to the joint evaluation by city engineers and building officials.
City Engr. Loben Ceballos said this list will serve as their database to guide future planning and development toward building safer school facilities in the city.
Mayor Greg Gasataya announced that an annual inspection of all government buildings will now be conducted as part of the city’s proactive safety measures.
“We have decided to conduct annual inspections not just for classrooms but for all government facilities to ensure the integrity of public infrastructure,” he said.
Gasataya said they focus primarily on public schools because private schools have their own safety officers to conduct facility inspections.
The city suspended classes for two days to ramp up the inspection of facilities on Tuesday.
The mayor encouraged the public to report any visible damage to school buildings or other public structures for proper assessment and action.