Sapangdaku ES to reopen in June

CEBU, Philippines - Sapangdaku Elementary School in Cebu City’s uplands will finally reopen in June, three years after it was shut down by the previous administration due to its flood-prone location.

Over 200 students in kindergarten and Grades 1, 2, and 3 will again use the facility.

For years, students have been holding classes in the three-storey barangay hall, which, in a way, has disrupted some of the barangay’s operations.

City Councilor Joy Augustus Young said the city is giving in to the request of some parents to reopen the school.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau earlier identified the school as highly susceptible to flood.

He said the parents are against the plan to transfer Sapangdaku ES pupils to Guadalupe ES, citing financial and distance concerns.

“There was a recommendation that the students of Sapangdaku Elementary School will be transferred to Guadalupe Elementary School to ensure the safety and security of the students since the barangay hall, diin sila nisulod nga murag eskwelahan, kay dili gyod conducive for learning,” Young said in press conference yesterday.

The school is nestled beside the Sapangdaku River and always gets flooded during heavy rains, endangering pupils and school personnel. It was ordered closed by former Cebu City mayor Michael Rama in June 2014.

Young, representative of the mayor to the Local School Board and assistant deputy mayor for education, said the old school will be used starting June 5, the scheduled opening of classes.

The reuse of the school also got approval from the officials of the Department of Education-Cebu City Division who were present during yesterday’s press conference.

Babylin Palban, the school principal, said there are 578 students and 200 of them will be attending classes at the old school.

The remaining 240 students in Grades 4, 5 and 6, on the other hand, will continue to have their classes at the barangay hall since they can manage to “jump in case of emergencies.”

But Young said they have yet to finalize the grade levels that will use the old school.

Students will continue using the barangay hall and the old school while the city government is still looking for a safe area to build a new school.

He said a team of engineers from DepEd-Cebu City have also yet to inspect the structural integrity of the barangay hall and the old school.

Risk

Dr. Theron Abel Aranas, DepEd Cebu City Division Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head, said the barangay hall is both not conducive for learning and unsafe.

Aranas said the barangay hall does not have a functional fire exit.

“Lisod kun dili magamayan ang number of people inside the barangay hall kay three-storey siya nga building unya 500 kabuok bata,” he said, adding that rooms are not also well-ventilated.

As for the old school, Aranas admitted that flooding may happen anytime.

But he said the students can easily vacate the school once the water from the river starts to rise during downpour.

Aranas said the old school is actually safer than the barangay hall, especially in times of disasters like earthquake.  Young said the old school is currently being repaired.

He said the city will also assist in clearing the pathways of the old school and to improveits drainage system.

DepEd-Cebu City Division and the city government will implement mitigating measures in the old school in a bid to provide a safe learning environment.

“Ang gate sa karaang skwelahan kay ibalhin kay facing sa canal maong ang risk reduction office ni-recommend sa pagbalhin niini. Sa kanang pagtaas sa tubig sa Guadalupe River, ang tubig ana is gikan sa Napo maong makig coordinate tas taga didto kun mag-uwan ba para maka andam pud ta diris ubos,” Aranas said.

As part of the mitigating measure, Young also said there will be emergency drills twice a year to better prepare students and school personnel for disasters. (FREEMAN)