At least 16 out of 48 public schools in Mandaue City sustained partial damage following the 6.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Cebu on September 30, according to a report from the Mandaue City Office of the Building Official (OBO) and city engineers.
This was revealed after Mayor Thadeo Jovito ‘Jonkie’ Ouano conducted an inspection on Monday, October 6, at Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School, Mandaue City Central School, and Looc Elementary School.
‘Partially damaged lang, dili pud whole school ang na-damage – naa lang gyud mga parts nga nadaot,’ Mayor Ouano said.
At the Mandaue City Comprehensive National High School, cracks were observed on some columns, while at Looc Elementary School, the building locally known as the ‘Petron Building’ was found to be tilted. The mayor clarified, however, that the structure had already been slightly tilted even before the quake.
To ensure the safety of students, the damaged building remains off-limits even though classes have resumed following the temporary suspension after the earthquake.
Mayor Ouano said he has instructed the OBO and the City Engineering Office to recheck the structures.
Before lifting the suspension of classes, he said he had requested an official report from the OBO to determine whether teachers and students could safely return to their classrooms.
During his inspection at Mandaue City Central School, Ouano also found columns with visible cracks. He said these may still be repaired through retrofitting since the damage was not as severe as that of Looc Elementary School.
The mayor said the inspection aims to assess what the city can immediately repair and how to expedite the process.
He added that Edgar Espina, administrative officer of the Department of Education (DepEd) Mandaue City Division, informed him that the department has a Quick Response Fund that may be utilized for repairs.
However, Ouano emphasized that the city government will not rely solely on that fund. He said he has reached out to the Mandaue Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) for possible assistance and also sought support from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc. (RAFI) for the repair of the 16 partially affected schools.
‘For the city government’s part, naa pud ta’y pondo, pero medyo mo-agi pa ni’g proseso. It would be better if the private sector could also help so the repairs can be completed faster,’ he said.
‘That would be better for the city sad, nga ma-paspas, ma-normal nasad ang pag-klase aning mga students,’ the mayor added.
While classes have resumed, Ouano assured that learning activities have not been disrupted since only certain portions of the schools were affected.
Students from damaged classrooms were transferred to other rooms, though he admitted these have become more crowded than usual.
The mayor said the city government is working to fast-track the repairs of the partially damaged school buildings to restore normal learning conditions.
‘Muhangyo ko da atoang mga kaigsounan nga pataasan lang gamay ang atoang pasensya, pero ang inyohang local nga kagamhanan diri sa City of Mandaue naningkamot ug maayo para ma-paspasan ni siya nga mapangitaan dayun nato ug paagi,’ Ouano said.
He added that with the combined efforts of DepEd’s Quick Response Fund and assistance from the private sector, the city hopes to accelerate the repair of damaged infrastructure.
Additionally, while all public schools in Mandaue have already resumed classes, Ouano clarified that private schools may decide on their own reopening once they have been inspected by their respective engineers.
He said the city government is ready to assist private schools that may need help.
‘Kung mangayo sila’g tabang, andam kaayo ta. Coordinate lang sila para ma-send dayon nato ang OBO ug engineering team,’ he said.