Angara Leads Inspection of Disaster-Hit Davao Occidental Schools for Rehab

MANILA, Philippines — Education Secretary Sonny Angara joined other Cabinet members in an assessment of heavily damaged schools in Davao Occidental to accelerate recovery efforts following earthquakes and flash floods over the past weeks. With Angara were Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos, Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian, and Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon. They inspected severely impacted educational facilities in the municipality of Jose Abad Santos to evaluate the extent of damage and coordinate rehabilitation efforts. At the same time, they checked on the immediate needs of affected students, teachers, and displaced families. READ: DepEd boosts recovery efforts of schools affected by disasters Following the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to fast-track government interventions, Angara emphasized the urgency of an organized, multi-agency response to restore normalcy for students and teachers. “The directive of President [Ferdinand] Bongbong Marcos [Jr.]: Education can’t wait, so the situation will have to be returned to normal as soon as possible,” Angara said in Filipino, according to a Department of Education (DepEd) statement issued on Monday. “We are here to make sure that the education of children will continue despite the crisis,” he added. The Cabinet officials visited the town after a series of natural disasters in the region. On June 8, 2026, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake centered in Maasim, Sarangani, caused widespread damage across Mindanao, including Davao Occidental. This was followed by flash floods and landslides in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental, on July 10 and 14, which were triggered by the southwest monsoon (Habagat) and Typhoon Inday. Then, on July 14, a magnitude 6.5 tremor struck, which severely disrupted school operations and displaced communities in Jose Abad Santos. At the Emeliano S. Fontanares Sr. National High School in Barangay Sugal, the earthquake left eight classrooms totally damaged, six with major damage, and two with minor damage. The quake also caused structural damage to the school gymnasium and concrete fences and injured one teacher and 10 students. Meanwhile, inspections revealed that Edna Guillermo Memorial National High School in Barangay Nuing had 31 classrooms totally destroyed, with three other classrooms sustaining major damage, severely affecting its 780 students. The delegation also visited Butulan Elementary School, where seven classrooms were totally damaged and two sustained minor damage. The school also served as a temporary evacuation center. As part of its rapid recovery plan, the DepEd has sent immediate financial and logistical assistance to the affected schools. To date, it has released P3.51 million to fund immediate critical activities on the ground — P2.061 million for clean-up and clearing operations and P1.449 million for minor repairs. READ: DepEd speeds up rollout of prefab, disaster-resilient classrooms To prevent prolonged disruptions to schooling, Davao Occidental has been prioritized for Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS) deployment, which will construct 77 LCS units across 23 target sites in the province, including the municipalities of Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos, Malita, Santa Maria, and Sarangani. Last week, DepEd also rolled out Psychological First Aid (PFA) sessions for affected students and teaching personnel at Edna Guillermo Memorial NHS. DepEd said it would continue to work closely with local government units, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and health authorities to oversee continuous relief assistance, engineering reviews for permanent reconstruction, and long-term climate-resilient engineering standards for Mindanao schools. /atm