FOLLOWING a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that damaged schools across northern Cebu on Tuesday night, Sept. 30, 2025, the Department of Education (DepEd) 7 is seeking financial support from both government and private sources to fund repairs and reconstruction.
DepEd 7 Director Dr. Salustiano Jimenez, in an interview with SunStar Cebu on Tuesday, Oct. 7, acknowledged that the agency’s current national government funds are not enough to cover the extensive rebuilding costs.
SCALE OF THE DAMAGE. The earthquake inflicted significant damage, particularly in at least nine northern local government units, including Bogo City, San Remigio, Daanbantayan, Medellin, Tabogon, Sogod, Borbon, Tabuelan and Bantayan. Bogo City was among the hardest hit, with all of its 38 public schools sustaining damage.
According to Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, the earthquake affected over 7,500 classrooms throughout Cebu: 5,587 suffered minor damage, 803 were severely damaged and 1,187 were destroyed.
The disaster disrupted the education of more than 19,000 students and nearly 1,000 teachers. Twelve students and two teachers were reported to have perished due, as of Saturday, Oct. 4.
FUNDING PROBLEM. While the 2025 General Appropriations Act allocated P240 million to Cebu Province and P20 million for new school buildings in four specific towns, these funds are designated for new construction projects, not for repairing or retrofitting classrooms damaged by natural disasters.
To address the immediate need, the Department of Budget and Management released P375 million in emergency funds to Cebu, with P150 million going to the Provincial Government and P75 million each to the hard-hit areas of San Remigio, Bogo City and Medellin. However, Jimenez confirmed that these amounts are insufficient for the full scope of reconstruction, prompting a call for public-private partnerships.
IMMEDIATE RESPONSE. To ensure learning continues, the DepEd 7 is implementing several measures. For schools where buildings are unsafe, classes have been suspended and instruction has shifted to alternative methods, primarily modular learning.
The department confirmed that learning modules for all four quarters have already been distributed to division offices in the region. To bridge the gap while reconstruction is planned, DepEd 7 will build temporary learning spaces, which are expected to be completed within a month.
National officials have also responded. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Angara visited Bogo City on Thursday, Oct. 2 to assess the damage and distribute “EduKahon” kits. The kit is a standardized, ready-to-deploy school recovery kit designed by the DepEd to ensure that learning continues for students and teachers in areas affected by disasters, such as typhoons, floods and earthquakes.
WHAT WE DON’T KNOW YET. Several key details remain uncertain. DepEd 7’s engineers are still assessing the full extent of the structural damage, so the final cost for repairs and rebuilding has not yet been determined.
While emergency funds have been released, the timeline for securing and releasing the larger funds needed for full reconstruction is unclear. This depends on a joint validation of the damage assessment by DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways, which must be completed before additional funds are released.
WHAT’S NEXT. The immediate priority is the construction of temporary learning spaces to resume classes as safely as possible. In the coming week, lesson packets and materials for the dynamic learning program are also scheduled for release to support students learning from home.
For the long term, the official list of schools needing reconstruction will be finalized after the joint validation by DepEd and the DPWH, which will pave the way for major rehabilitation and rebuilding projects. Teachers in the affected areas are also entitled to take special emergency leave while the region is under a state of calamity. / EHP