THE Department of Education in Central Visayas (DepEd 7) is struggling to repair hundreds of public schools in Cebu Province damaged by a major earthquake and a typhoon as recovery costs far outpace available government funding.
Following a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on Sept. 30, 2025, and typhoon Tino (Kalmaegi) on Nov. 4, school infrastructure has reached a crisis point. Officials report that while billions of pesos are needed for rehabilitation, the current budget is nearly depleted, leaving the education of hundreds of thousands of students in a state of uncertainty.
The big question
How can DepEd 7 ensure the safety and continued learning of 700,000 students when recovery funds are nearly exhausted and technical experts are in short supply?
The massive shortfall in rehabilitation funds
The DepEd 7 is facing a significant financial gap. Director Salustiano Jimenez said during a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 18, that the regional office requested P5.5 billion for repairs but has only seen P1.2 billion allocated and released so far. Jimenez warned that funds for the 2025 school year are almost gone even as officials continue to assess the total damage.
“Dili pa gani mi kaabot og one-fourth sa among gikinahanglan nga pondo (We haven’t even reached one-fourth of the funds that we need),” Jimenez said.
Classroom destruction
The scale of the damage across Cebu Province is extensive. Following the earthquake on Sept. 30, initial assessments in mid-October identified around 200 affected public schools. The damage includes 500 classrooms that were destroyed, 700 with major damage and more than 2,000 with minor damage. Total losses are estimated at P4 billion, a figure Jimenez said is worse than the destruction caused by typhoon Odette in 2021.
The situation worsened on Nov. 4 when typhoon Tino hit, causing minor damage in some schools to escalate into major or total destruction.
Obstacles to rebuilding
Reconstruction is slowed by a lack of money and a shortage of technical personnel. Jimenez said there is a lack of structural engineers within both DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to conduct necessary building evaluations.
“Even the DPWH lacks structural engineers,” he said.
Furthermore, some school sites are no longer viable. The Hagnaya Integrated Elementary School in San Remigio was declared unsafe because of a sinkhole. Officials are now coordinating with local governments to find new locations, but limited buildable space in hazard-prone areas remains a challenge.
Interim measures for student learning
To manage the disruption, DepEd 7 is utilizing Temporary Learning Spaces — makeshift or prefabricated educational structures to ensure education continuity immediately following disasters or emergencies — and modular or blended learning. While these are necessary stopgaps, Jimenez emphasized that face-to-face classes remain the priority. The regional office is also exploring public-private partnerships to fund the restoration of classrooms and the replacement of lost equipment, such as laptops. Because the government cannot cover all costs, Jimenez is calling for outside help, from local government units and nongovernmental organizations.
“Kinahanglan gyud og tabang sa LGUs ug NGOs (We really need help from LGUs and NGOs),” he said.
Consequences for the public
The primary consequence of these successive disasters is a significant disruption to education for approximately 700,000 students. Some schools have reported learning backlogs of up to 30 days. To compensate for the lost time, officials may decide to extend the required 200-day school year on a case-to-case basis. Without a surge in funding or assistance from the private sector and local government units, many schools may not see major repairs or new construction until 2026. / EHP