The total damage to schools caused by the magnitude 6.9 earthquake in Cebu is expected to exceed P1 billion, the Department of Education (Deped) said Thursday.
‘The total damage to schools across the province is projected to exceed P1 billion, with more than 50,000 learners and over 1,400 teaching and non-teaching personnel affected, including nearly 900 in Bogo City,’ DepEd said in a statement, citing its regional director for Central Visayas, Salustiano Jimenez. Due to this, DepEd said it has already reinforced its disaster preparedness and response systems through the deployment of rapid assessment teams and the launch of new tools and facilities aimed at strengthening education resilience.
Among these major initiatives, said DepEd, is the ‘PlanSmart for Safe Schools,’ a web-based contingency planning application developed to enable schools to create evidence-based contingency plans.
DepEd said a series of training sessions for the project will begin in November 2025 for 3,012 schools in the Greater Metro Manila area, before its nationwide rollout.
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The Department said it is also set to pilot the ‘M7X School Ready Program,’ which refers to the initiative aimed at strengthening earthquake preparedness in public schools and DepEd offices.
West Valley Fault
The pilot phase of the program will prioritize schools in Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, particularly those situated along or near the West Valley Fault.
DepEd also unveiled its Pillar 1: Safer Learning Facilities Guidebook, a reference manual which aims to empower schools to adopt inclusive, climate-resilient, and child-safe construction standards. Furthermore, DepEd rolled out the ‘Upgraded Temporary Learning Spaces’ program to improve modular classrooms designed to support continued education while permanent school structures undergo repair or reconstruction.
‘Preparedness is the foundation of resilience. When our schools have adequate equipment, training, and facilities, we can ensure that learning continues even in the midst of disaster,’ Angara added in Filipino.