FIVE years after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake jolted Bohol and Cebu, damaging schools and other infrastructure, some school buildings in Cebu are now earthquake-proof and prepared for any calamity, according to an education official.
“We are well prepared for any disaster because we have learned our lesson from the past calamities that hit the schools in the province, especially in the northern part of Cebu, such as Daanbantayan, Medellin, San Remegio, Santa Fe, Bantayan and Madridejos, which are usually hit by typhoons,” Ester Roldan, project development officer 2 of the Department of Education (DepEd) Cebu province, said in Cebuano.
“The school buildings that had cracks due to the earthquake have been repaired, and we built a stronger foundation for all the new school buildings, while old school buildings that are more than 30 years old are candidates for rehabilitation,” Roldan said.
Roldan said new school buildings already have emergency exits constructed at the back of the school, while schools with old buildings with no emergency exits have made an emergency exit plan. Also, swing-in doors of the schools have been replaced with swing-out doors for easy passage in case there is an emergency.
“We check the standard of materials to be used in repairing the schools to make sure that these schools would be able to withstand the calamities that may strike Cebu,” she added.
An estimated P100 million was the budget for the rehabilitation of the school buildings in the southern and northern parts of Cebu Province.
Damage
The Oct. 15, 2013 earthquake, which had its epicenter in Sagbayan, Bohol, struck during a public holiday, so children were not in school. While the children escaped injury, however, their classrooms did not.
The temblor severely damaged classrooms in eight of Mandaue City’s 47 public schools, and destroyed seven classrooms of Lamac Elementary School in Pinamungajan town as well as a two-story building in the Dalaguete Central Elementary School.
It damaged classrooms in Tejero Elementary School, Labangon Elementary School, Gothong Memorial National High School in Cebu City, and 52 classrooms in Lapu-Lapu City.
In the aftermath of the temblor, the DepEd declared 531 classrooms in Cebu City and 804 other classrooms in the rest of the province structurally unsafe for occupancy.
Safe for evacuation
In terms of monitoring the school buildings, Roldan conducts inspections in the 1,400 schools.
Now that many schools have been repaired and reconstructed, they are now safe for use as evacuation centers.
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Chief Baltazar Tribunalo has identified the new school buildings of the DepEd 7 as earthquake-proof and following the National Building Code, which provides for all buildings and structures, a framework of minimum standards and requirements by guiding, regulating and controlling their location, siting, design, quality of materials, construction, use, occupancy and maintenance, including their environment, utilities, fixtures, equipment and mechanical electrical, and other systems and installations.
Under the revised National Building Code implementing rules and regulations, which came into effect in 2004, all structures and buildings should be able to withstand a magnitude 8 earthquake on the Richter scale, according to then senator Loren Legarda who, a month after the Oct. 15, 2013 earthquake, called for an earthquake risk audit of all government infrastructure projects and buildings, and their retrofitting to meet the standards.
Roldan cautioned, however, that schools located in the mountainous areas and coastal areas are not recommended for use as evacuation centers since these are susceptible to tsunamis and landslides.
Although these schools have been repaired and are ready for disaster, Roldan said it is best to transfer the residents to a safer place away from the disaster-prone area.
Roldan said schools should be the last option as evacuation centers since the DepEd does not want classes to be disturbed.
Tribunalo agreed.
Drills and rescue
Aside from securing the school buildings, Roldan said that after the earthquake in Bohol and Cebu, and typhoon Yolanda weeks later, the schools in Cebu province started conducting quarterly emergency evacuation drills for less affected schools and monthly emergency evacuation drills for highly affected schools.
DepEd conducts basic life support training to teachers on what to do before, during and after a disaster. Students from elementary, high school and senior high school also form rescue response groups. The members of the rescue response group are the ones who will lead the other students during a disaster. Before a student becomes a part of the rescue response group, he must secure a parent’s consent and then he must undergo disaster management training from a provincial disaster officer.
Curriculum
DepEd includes disaster preparedness in the school curriculum in all levels, but the senior high school students have a separate subject for disaster education.
DepEd also distributes three copies to the school districts of a Cebuano booklet, “Pagpangandam sa Katalagman,” that teaches the students what to do before, during and after a calamity.
Ahead of an expected calamity, the PDRRMO communicates with the DepEd to give an advisory so that precautionary measures can be taken in the schools that will be affected.
After a calamity, Roldan said, they provide assistance to the affected teachers and students. They distribute daily necessities, such as food, clothing and hygiene kits, and they conduct stress debriefing.
Roldan advised the students to have an emergency bag containing food, clothing and a first aid kit before a disaster and replace them every time the food expires.
“Mas maayo nang andam daan sa unsa man nga katalagman aron dili kita ang tabangonon. Kita ang mutabang (It’s best to be prepared for any calamity, so that we won’t be the ones who will need to be helped. Instead, we will be the ones to help others),” Roldan said. (with CTL)