Rebuilding what Habagat and the recent cyclones tore down will cost the education department more than P5 billion, and thousands of classrooms are still not safe to return to.
The price tag of the storm
At least P5.072 billion is needed to reconstruct 476 schools damaged by the southwest monsoon and recent tropical cyclones, the Department of Education said in its latest situation report. That figure is on top of the cost of repairs that stop short of full rebuilds.
- P5.072 billion for full reconstruction of 476 schools
- P1.013 billion for major repair of 624 schools
- P277.34 million for minor repair of 1,444 schools
- P46.983 million for cleanup and clearing of another 1,627
Hundreds of classrooms still housing families
Beyond the repair bill, 1,145 classrooms in 307 schools are still being used as evacuation centers for at least 9,798 families. Central Luzon carries the heaviest load with 172 such evacuation centers, followed by Calabarzon with 57 and the Ilocos Region with 37.
| Evacuation center locations | Count |
|---|---|
| Central Luzon | 172 |
| Calabarzon | 57 |
| Ilocos Region | 37 |
| Metro Manila | 15 |
| Eastern Visayas | 11 |
| Mimaropa | 8 |
| Cordillera Administrative Region | 7 |
How big is the overall damage?
Earlier estimates put the total classroom toll even higher: more than 9,500 classrooms in 1,594 schools sustained minor to major damage from the enhanced southwest monsoon and recent cyclones. Central Luzon absorbed the biggest share with 3,596 affected classrooms across 412 schools, and Pampanga alone counted 1,689 damaged rooms.
The disaster also destroyed 23,154 self-learning modules, forcing regional offices to rush reprints, and some schools in Central Luzon lost as many as 12 instructional days.
What DepEd is doing
Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the department is prioritizing student and teacher safety while keeping learning disruptions to a minimum. DepEd is tapping its Disaster Preparedness and Response Program fund, a special budget request to the Department of Budget and Management, and even the DOLE TUPAD program to help clean up school grounds.
The agency is also proposing a three-tier class suspension system to replace the current executive order, letting individual campuses resume in-person classes once they are deemed safe even if a wider citywide suspension remains.
We have been tracking the rains closely: here is the red rainfall warning that shut down Metro Manila and Luzon, and the lahar advisory for Pinatubo and Taal that followed. For the full list of affected areas, see our walang pasok roundup.
This article is for informational purposes only.
