THE Department of Education (DepEd) has allocated P1 billion for the repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction of school buildings in Cebu damaged by the 6.9 earthquake on Sept. 30, 2025.
This was announced during the Regional/National Investment Programming (RNIP) Dialogue on Wednesday, Nov. 26.
Elizar Sabinay Jr. of the Cebu Provincial Planning and Development Office said in an interview on Friday, Nov. 28, that the budget will be sourced from DepEd’s Quick Response Fund (QRF).
Sabinay said DepEd’s QRF prioritizes totally damaged school buildings, particularly those affected by the earthquake that struck Bogo City and other areas in Cebu. “P1 billion is allotted for schools damaged because of the earthquake. This is for the earthquake alone,” he said.
DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will jointly identify and prioritize schools for reconstruction under the QRF.
“There are around P4 billion-plus (worth of) damaged schools. So, in terms of prioritization, we can’t really provide everything. We can’t cover the entire amount. So, the strategy now, for the P1 billion moving forward, DepEd and DPWH will prioritize the totally damaged,” he said.
As total losses are estimated at P4 billion, the needs of schools that sustained partial or moderate damage could be shouldered by DepEd’s regular annual repair budget and allocations from the Cebu Provincial School Board, Local School Board, and the individual local government units (LGUs), Sabinay said.
Sabinay also said the Cebu Provincial School Board approved over P700 million for teachers, equipment and selected school rehabilitation projects.
Schools requiring full reconstruction may again be proposed for QRF funding in 2026, since the fund is replenished annually.
“If it’s totally damaged, it can still be applied for QRF next year,” he said.
A SunStar Cebu report on Oct. 14 said DepEd Central Visayas found 700 classrooms suffered major damage, 500 classrooms were destroyed and over 2,000 classrooms across the region had minor damage. / CDF