New school buildings to be constructed in north Cebu

Local

A CLASSROOM without walls is a daily reality for some students in northern Cebu — but officials say help is on the way.

This, as four new school buildings worth P45.9 million will be constructed in the province’s 4th District to replace facilities damaged by the October 2025 earthquake, aiming to bring displaced learners back to safe classrooms before the next school year.

The project is a collaboration between the Cebu Provincial Government and the Department of Education, formalized through a memorandum of agreement signed under the administration of Pamela Baricuatro to ensure immediate rollout.

The new buildings will rise at Daanbantayan National High School in Daanbantayan, Antonio M. Pantaleon Elementary School in Medellin, San Remigio National High School in San Remigio, and Ilihan Elementary School in Tabogon — all major schools that serve thousands of learners in northern Cebu.

Each facility carries an approved budget of P11,484,367.80 based on DepEd’s program of works, bringing the total project cost to P45,937,471.20.

To accelerate implementation, funding will be downloaded directly through DepEd so construction can proceed without passing through the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Assistant Provincial Administrator Aldwin Empaces said the arrangement is meant to prevent delays and ensure classrooms are ready before classes open.

“Para ig July naa nay mabalikan ang mga bata nga eskwelahan kay major schools man ni sa Daanbantayan, San Remigio, Medellin, ug Tabogon,” Empaces said.

He explained that the provincial government will focus on monitoring to ensure proper use of funds.

“It's more on the role of LGU, not just the LGU to make sure lang nga ma use jud nato ang funds in the right way,” he added.

Officials clarified that the initiative is separate from the P1.7-billion Local School Board funding, which supports other education infrastructure and services.

The construction forms part of DepEd’s nationwide school building program addressing disaster recovery and existing classroom shortages.

Earlier DepEd data showed that the earthquake damaged thousands of classrooms across Cebu, with 5,587 sustaining minor damage, 803 reporting major damage, and 1,187 completely destroyed.

Nearly 950 teachers and non-teaching personnel were also affected, disrupting school operations.

Even before the disaster, Cebu already faced a shortage of more than 3,000 classrooms, while the national backlog stood at around.(MyTVCebu)