Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara has committed to expedite the rebuilding of school infrastructure that were damaged by earthquakes and flashflood in Davao Occidental.

Angara said assessment is ongoing while coordination meeting with concerned government agencies are being done on how to speed up the entire rehabilitation process to ensure that the school activities will go back to normal for learners in the province.

“Education should not wait. There is a need to normalize the situation here in the soonest possible time,” said Angara during his visit in some heavily damaged schools in Davao Occidental.

Angara was with Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos and Department of Public Works and

Highways Secretary Vince Dizon during the inspection of severely impacted educational facilities in the municipality of Jose Abad Santos.

“The inspection is aimed at evaluating the extent of damage and coordinate rehabilitation efforts, while monitoring the immediate needs of affected learners, teachers, and displaced families,” said Angara.

“We are here to make sure that the learning process of the children will continue despite the crisis,” he added.

The Cabinet officials visited several severely affected schools and public facilities following a series of natural disasters in the region.

On June 8, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake centered in Maasim, Sarangani province caused widespread damage across Mindanao, including Davao Occidental. This was followed by flash floods and landslides in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental on July 10 and 14 triggered by the southwest monsoon (Habagat) and Typhoon Inday.

The situation was further compounded by a magnitude 6.5 tremor on July 14, which severely disrupted school operations and displaced communities in Jose Abad Santos.

At the Emeliano S. Fontanares Sr. National High School in Barangay Sugal, the earthquake left eight classrooms totally damaged, six with major damage, and two with minor damage.

The disaster also caused structural damage to the school gymnasium and concrete fences, and while no fatalities were recorded, one teacher and ten learners sustained injuries.

Meanwhile, inspections revealed that Edna Guillermo Memorial National High School in Barangay Nuing lost 31 classrooms to total destruction and three to major damage, severely affecting its 780 learners.

The delegation also visited Butulan Elementary School, which sustained seven totally damaged and two minor-damaged classrooms, and also served as a temporary evacuation center.

As part of its rapid recovery mechanism, the Department of Education (DepEd) has mobilized immediate financial and logistical assistance to the affected schools.

To date, DepEd has released P3.51 million to fund immediate critical activities on the ground, which includes P2.061 million downloaded for clean-up and clearing operations and P1.449 million for minor repairs.

To prevent prolonged disruptions to schooling, Davao Occidental has been prioritized for Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS) deployment, which will construct 77 LCS units across 23 target sites in the province, including Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos, Malita, Santa Maria, and Sarangani municipalities.

DepEd also successfully rolled out Psychological First Aid (PFA) sessions the previous week for affected learners and teaching personnel at Edna Guillermo Memorial NHS to support their psychosocial well-being.