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Monday, May 22, 2006
Council wants to tap disaster funds for upland school
THE Cebu City Council has declared as a calamity area the site where Barangay Sirao’s elementary and high schools stand.
This declaration paved the way for the use of the City’s calamity funds to construct new school buildings in a new location.
Safety concerns for the school were raised after a landslide buried an entire village, including a school full of pupils, in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, last February.
After intermittent rain, slumping was again noticed in a large swathe of soil and boulders at the base of Mt. Kan-irag, which authorities feared might slide and bury the school in upland Cebu City.
Last March, the Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC) already asked that the school site be declared a calamity area, and that funds be allocated for the construction of new school buildings in a safer area.
CCDCC members fear a repeat of the 1996 landslide that buried the high school building because of the movement of loose soil and rocks at the foot of Mt. Kan-irag, which looms over the school.
Sirao barangay officials have identified a lot in Tawagan, which is a few kilometers above Sirao proper, as the ideal site for a new school. The Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau had assessed the proposed relocation site as safe.
Lot owner Boom Fonacier already agreed to donate one hectare of his property, which includes the proposed school site, to the City Government.
City Hall education consultant Joy Augustus Young, in an earlier interview, said the City would have to shell out P16 million to build two 10-classroom buildings that will be used by both elementary and high school students.
Bidding
He requested that the City fast-track the bidding process for the materials so construction could start.
“Kinahanglang dali-on ni kay maghulat pa diay tang naay mahitabo. (We shouldn’t wait until something tragic happens.) Too late the hero, so to speak,” he said.
Last Wednesday, City Councilors Jocelyn Pesquera and Gerardo Carillo presented the resolution declaring the school as a calamity area.
They said the place is prone to landslide.
“In order to safeguard the lives of a number of school children, students and teachers that are at risk should a landslide occur, it is recommended that Sirao Elementary and National High School buildings be relocated and constructed in a safer location,” read the resolution.
The school had 574 students and six teachers in the last academic year. (RHM)
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