Senator Paolo “Bam” Aquino IV on Wednesday, October 15 renewed his push for the construction of more resilient classrooms and schools nationwide following the devastation wrought about by the series of typhoons and earthquakes that struck the country.

Sen. Bam Aquino seeks to modernize budget transparency and accountability through the use of “blockchain technology” in a bid to make the national budget publicly available, ensure accessibility, easy to understand, and open for citizen engagement. (Senate PRIB photo)

Aquino, on Tuesday visited Mayor Leni Robredo and inspected flooded and condemned classrooms in two public schools in Naga City, and vowed to address these concerns to provide students with a safe and conducive learning environment.

During his inspection with Robredo at the Julian B. Meliton Elementary School, Aquino discovered that 34 of the school’s 71 classrooms are frequently flooded, 24 of which are no longer usable due to severe damage.

Despite being declared unsafe, 10 of the flooded classrooms are still being used because of the school’s persistent classroom shortage.

School authorities attributed the flooding to the school’s low-lying location, swampy terrain, and undersized drainage system, which prevent floodwaters from subsiding quickly even after the rain stops.

Most of the time, classes in affected areas are often suspended during heavy rainfall, while Grade 2 and Grade 3 students follow a permanent shifting schedule due to the shortage of classrooms.

Aquino said he encountered similar conditions during his visit to Mabolo Elementary School.

“It is important to take action now that the classroom budget and the education budget are being tackled (by Congress),” said Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

“It is important that we protect our children from floods, earthquakes, and typhoons. Our schools must be climate resilient. They must be funded correctly, at the right price, at the right amount, and in a timely manner,” he added.

Aquino recently filed Senate Bill No. 121, or the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which seeks to address the backlog of 166,000 classrooms in public schools nationwide.

Under the bill, local government units (LGUs) and non-government organizations (NGOs) with a proven track record will be mandated to construct classrooms in compliance with national standards and guidelines within their jurisdictions, and with funding support from the national government.