P45.9M school buildings to rise in northern Cebu after quake damage

Four new school buildings worth P45.9 million will soon be constructed in northern Cebu to replace facilities damaged by the October 2025 earthquake.

The project will cover four major schools in the province’s 4th District, where thousands of learners were displaced after several classrooms were declared unsafe or unusable.

The initiative is being implemented through a partnership between the Cebu Provincial Government and the Department of Education to restore safe and conducive learning spaces before the next school year.

A memorandum of agreement formalizing the collaboration was signed under the administration of Governor Pamela Baricuatro to fast-track the rollout of the projects.

The recipient schools are Daanbantayan National High School in Daanbantayan; Antonio M. Pantaleon Elementary School in Medellin; San Remigio National High School in San Remigio; and Ilihan Elementary School in Tabogon.

Each school building has an approved budget of P11,484,367.80 based on DepEd’s program of works, bringing the total project cost to P45,937,471.20.

To accelerate implementation, funds will be downloaded directly through DepEd, allowing construction to proceed without passing through the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces said the arrangement aims to prevent delays and ensure the buildings are ready before classes resume in July.

“Para ig July naa nay mabalikan ang mga bata nga eskwelahan kay major schools man ni sa Daanbantayan, San Remigio, Medellin, ug Tabogon,” Empaces said.

He added that the provincial government’s role will focus on monitoring the projects and ensuring proper fund utilization.

“It’s more on the role of LGU, not just the LGU to make sure lang nga ma use jud nato ang funds in the right way,” he said.

Officials clarified that the project is separate from the P1.7-billion allocation under the Local School Board, which supports other education infrastructure and services.

The construction is part of DepEd’s nationwide school building program addressing disaster recovery and long-standing classroom shortages.

Earlier DepEd data showed that the earthquake damaged 5,587 classrooms in Cebu with minor damage, 803 with major damage, and 1,187 completely destroyed. Nearly 950 teachers and non-teaching personnel were also affected, disrupting operations in several areas.

Even before the disaster, Cebu already faced a shortage of more than 3,000 classrooms, while the national backlog has reached around 165,000. (SBA)

Photo by Jacq Hernandez