THE Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd 7) is pooling government resources and reaching out to the private sector to rebuild classrooms damaged by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu and neighboring provinces on September 30, 2025.
DepEd 7 Director Dr. Salustiano Jimenez admitted that the agency’s current funds from the National Government are insufficient to cover reconstruction costs.
He has not provided specific figures as the agency’s engineers are still assessing the extent of the damage and the funding needed for repairs and rehabilitation.
At least nine towns and cities in northern Cebu — including Bogo City, San Remigio, Daanbantayan, Medellin, Tabogon, Sogod, Borbon, Tabuelan and Bantayan — sustained varying degrees of structural damage to school buildings, according to the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
Among the hardest hit were Bogo City, where all 38 public schools sustained damage, and San Remigio.
On Saturday, October 4, Jimenez reported that at least 12 students and two teachers perished after the earthquake.
He confirmed that several elementary and secondary schools, such as San Remigio National High School and Cebu Technological University Daanbantayan–San Remigio Extension, reported collapsed walls and unsafe buildings.
All levels of classes were suspended until further notice in Carmen, Sogod, Daanbantayan, Bantayan, Bogo, Medellin, Tuburan, Borbon and Catmon.
Under the 2025 General Appropriations Act, Cebu Province received P240 million, while P20 million was allocated for the construction of four-story school buildings with at least 12 additional classrooms each in Bantayan, Medellin, Santa Fe and Tabogon.
However, this allocation covers only new construction projects, not the repair or retrofitting of quake-damaged classrooms.
To aid recovery, the Department of Budget and Management separately released P375 million in emergency funds to Cebu — P150 million for the Provincial Government and P75 million each for San Remigio, Bogo City and Medellin.
Jimenez is encouraging public-private partnerships to help restore affected school facilities.
He explained that the scope of rehabilitation depends on the level of damage: totally damaged classrooms will require new construction; those with major damage will undergo retrofitting; and those with minor damage will be repaired.
For the meantime, DepEd 7 will build temporary learning spaces (TLS) to ensure learning continuity while reconstruction is ongoing.
The TLS facilities are expected to be completed within a month, Jimenez said.
He added that several schools in northern Cebu affected by the earthquake have shifted to alternative delivery modes of instruction, primarily modular learning, as face-to-face classes remain unsafe in several areas.
Modules for all four quarters have already been distributed to all Schools Division Offices in the region.
Education Secretary Sonny Angara, who visited Bogo City with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on October 2, said more than 7,500 classrooms across Cebu were affected — 5,587 sustained minor damage, 803 were severely damaged and 1,187 were totally destroyed.
The quake disrupted classes for more than 19,000 students and nearly 1,000 teachers.
Angara, along with President Marcos, distributed EduKahon kits to 70 students and 17 teachers in Bogo City, one of the hardest-hit areas where all 38 public schools reported damage.
“Titiyakin nating magpapatuloy ang edukasyon ng ating mga kabataan,” Angara wrote on October 2.
He added that the official reconstruction list will be subject to joint validation by DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) before the release of funds.
Lesson packets and the Dynamic Learning Program are also scheduled for release this week to support alternative learning delivery.
Teachers in affected areas are entitled to special emergency leave while the state of calamity is in effect. (EHP)