MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Education (DepEd) has discovered that 107 public schools in Metro Manila have structural defects, an official disclosed today.
Engr. Oliver Hernandez of Deped's Physical Facilities Schools and Engineering said the inspection conducted from March to April 2010 covered 418 school buildings in Metro Manila
Hernandez, however, stressed that the ongoing re-evaluation of the schools could alter the number of structures with defects.
The defects the building inspectors uncovered ranged from hairline cracks on the columns and posts to exposed steel bars.
Hernandez said they have declared most of these schools "unsafe" and "condemned", prompting DepEd officials and local government units to relocate the students to other schools or build a new ones.
He cited that the Bagong Silangan Elementary School in Quezon City, which was reportedly located on a fault line, is one of the schools found with structural defects.
"We would have to close down the school this Friday especially with the lives of the students are at stake," Hernandes said.