64 classrooms destroyed, hundreds damaged

MANILA, Philippines —  At least 64 classrooms were destroyed by Typhoon Tino in the Visayas and Mindanao, the Department of Education reported yesterday.

DepEd added that at least 91 classrooms suffered major damage, 237 classrooms recorded minor damage while 522 were used as evacuation centers.

At least 20,681 schools implemented class suspensions in Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, Bicol, Calabarzon, Negros Island, Zamboanga Peninsula, Mimaropa, Northern Mindanao, Caraga and BARMM.

DepEd said at least P2.11 million was allocated for the cleanup and clearing operation of affected schools while P11.6 million was released for the repair of classrooms with minor damage.

DepEd said it is also working with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Commission on Higher Education, the Philippine Science High School and the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) to develop uniform national protocol on class suspensions to minimize learning loss.

EDCOM 2 data revealed that during school year 2023-2024, the country lost more than 20 school days due to climate-related events, disrupting classes for over 11 million learners or about 42 percent of the public school population.

Corn shortage

The Department of Agriculture (DA) warned that the country may face a shortfall in corn supply due to damage caused by Typhoon Tino, even as rice stocks are expected to remain stable.

“We’re not too worried about rice since the harvest is almost complete in major producing provinces and most of the affected regions are not major producing areas,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. “But we may have an issue with corn because about 33,000 hectares of cornfields were affected by Tino.”

To support recovery, the agency will distribute P255 million worth of farm inputs, including seeds for rice, corn and vegetables, as well as fingerlings and biologics for fisheries.

Tiu Laurel further instructed the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. to fast-track claims processing for affected farmers. The Agricultural Credit Policy Council will also offer loans of up to P25,000 under its Survival and Recovery Loan Program to help producers resume operations quickly.

Power outages

Around 1.4 million households, mostly in the Visayas, were plunged into darkness following the onslaught of Typhoon Tino, according to Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella.

At a press briefing yesterday, Fuentebella said the number could still rise as the latest figures still do not account for those served by private distribution utilities.

As of 2 p.m. yesterday, the National Electrification Administration reported that the typhoon disrupted the services of 53 electric cooperatives in 32 provinces across 10 regions.

Energy Secretary Sharon Garin has appealed to households in storm-hit communities to be patient, noting that line crews are working round-the-clock to restore electricity.

In response to over-generation triggered by Tino, the Energy Regulatory Commission has suspended operations of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market in the Visayas.

During the suspension, the WESM operator would impose an administrative price on all trading participants.

Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said that four airports under their management suffered minor damage from Typhoon Tino. –  Christine Boton, Rudy Santos, Brix Lelis