THE Mandaue City Central School is awaiting official clearance from the Office of the Building Official (OBO) to begin retrofitting its main building, which was temporarily restricted due to visible cracks.
School Principal Louwela Guerrero confirmed that a follow-up inspection on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, overturned an earlier recommendation for the partial demolition of the 13-year-old structure with a more positive finding.
“The engineer from OBO said the building is not for demolition but for retrofitting,” Guerrero said after Jun Pastor Achilles, an engineer at OBO, determined that the structure still has structural integrity and can be strengthened.
“The public is assured that we will not use any part of the building unless we have received an official clearance from the OBO,” she added.
This allows the school to prepare for a possible return to face-to-face classes once the clearance is granted.
Earlier, Mayor Thadeo Jovito “Jonkie” Ouano visited the school along with other city officials to assess the situation after the Cebu earthquake last Sept. 30.
“The mayor and the team from the LGU came to Mandaue City Central School after noticing that there were cracks on the building. Mayor Ouano then instructed the Office of the Building Official to conduct a more thorough inspection,” Guerrero said.
During the first inspection, city engineers recommended that a portion of the building be demolished due to the extent of the cracks. However, they also saw that certain parts appeared to be still usable.
As a precaution, the entire building was temporarily restricted to ensure the safety of students and staff.
“The building has ten classrooms; but because we have both morning and afternoon sessions, it actually serves twenty classes,” Guerrero explained.
“Since we are still under blended learning, we haven’t encountered any major issues related to safety,” she added.
For now, the affected portion remains unused.
“We understand that the Office of the Building Official still has many other schools to inspect and assess, so we will give them time. Once we receive the official clearance, we will release an official statement in coordination with Mayor Ouano,” Guerrero said.
Heritage
As for the Gabaldon Building, which is considered a heritage structure, Guerrero said they have coordinated with the heritage office through the OBO to determine what actions are allowed, since modifications or demolitions on heritage buildings are restricted.
Meanwhile, Mandaue City Central School continues to implement the blended learning setup, where 70 percent of teachers conduct online classes and 30 percent handle modular learning for students without internet access or devices at home.
“The teachers provide Learning Action Sheets to students who can’t access online platforms. Some teachers print and distribute them at the school. We even conducted a survey to identify who has no access so we can provide modules accordingly,” Guerrero said.
Teachers have also embraced technology by creating Google Form-based assessments, which allow them to track student }performance instantly.
“With Google Forms, teachers can immediately identify which areas students find difficult. They can then adjust or simplify the test questions,” Guerrero added.
In case of further delays or complications, the school has prepared a contingency plan for face-to-face classes.
“We will not resume face-to-face classes unless we receive the final clearance… If it becomes necessary, we are ready to implement emergency classes for Grades 4, 5, and 6, just as we have done for Grades 1 to 3,” the principal said.
Guerrero assured parents and the public that student safety remains the top priority.
“If retrofitting will be done, we will schedule it in a way that students are not affected, possibly in the afternoons when there are no classes,” she said. / ABC