WITH a few weeks until classes for the School Year 2025-2026 start, Buhisan Barangay Captain Gremar Barete has recommended the face-to-face classes setup despite the risky structural conditions of the Buhisan Elementary School.
Barete, however, clarified that this would depend on the weather conditions and the recommendations of the Department of Education (DepEd) and Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
“We always do monitoring for the safety of the students,” said Barete in a text message on Wednesday, May 28, 2025.
Barete said that since there is no other area where the classes can be held and the cracks are visible only in the principal’s office, the school will still be used.
Meanwhile, outgoing Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is awaiting crucial recommendations from the DepEd, the Local School Board (LSB), the city’s disaster office, and the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) 7 regarding the relocation and setup of Buhisan Elementary and Night High School.
In a phone interview on Wednesday, Garcia stated that he plans to convene a meeting with the LSB, the city’s disaster office, and DepEd within the week to discuss their collective recommendations for the school’s future.
Safety
The mayor emphasized that he would direct the LSB to take the lead in assessing whether the current school structure is safe for holding classes.
“For now, with classes approaching, we haven’t yet discussed with the Local School Board whether or not the school can be used,” he said.
Regarding the property intended for the new school site, Garcia said that it would be up to the LSB to make a resolution requesting the purchase of the lot.
The City is looking to acquire a 4,000-square-meter property near the Buhisan Barangay Hall for P20 million, priced at P5,000 per square meter, a valuation already assessed by the city’s appraisal committee.
Garcia stated he has been waiting for the LSB’s resolution and recommendations.
“Once there is a resolution, we can begin the process of negotiating with the owner and acquiring the property needed for the relocation of Buhisan Elementary and Night High School,” he said.
Lot purchase
With only a few weeks left in his term, Garcia acknowledged that the actual purchase of the lot would extend beyond his tenure. However, he expressed hope that the processing would commence within his remaining days in office.
“Hopefully, the processing for that can start during my term,” he said.
Buhisan Elementary and Night High School was placed under a state of emergency on March 18, following the discovery of cracks in its buildings. / JPS