Senator Bam Aquino recently reunited with Mayor Leni Robredo and inspected flooded and condemned classrooms in two public schools here, vowing to address these concerns to provide students with a safe and conducive learning environment.
During his inspection with Mayor Leni at Julian B. Meliton Elementary School, Sen. Bam discovered that 34 of the school’s 71 classrooms are frequently flooded, 24 of which are no longer usable due to severe damage. Despite being declared unsafe, 10 of the flooded classrooms are still being used because of the school’s persistent classroom shortage.
According to the school principal, flooding is caused by the school’s low-lying location, swampy terrain, and undersized drainage system, which prevent floodwaters from subsiding quickly even after the rain stops.
Classes in affected areas are often suspended during heavy rainfall, while Grade 2 and Grade 3 students follow a permanent shifting schedule due to the shortage of classrooms.
Sen. Bam encountered similar conditions during his visit to Mabolo Elementary School.
“Mahalagang maaksiyunan ito ngayon na tina-tackle iyong budget ng classrooms at budget ng edukasyon. Mahalagang maprotektahan natin ang mga kabataan natin sa baha, sa lindol, at sa bagyo,” said Sen. Bam, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.
“Dapat maging climate resilient ang ating mga eskuwelahan. Dapat mapondoan nang tama, sa tamang presyo, sa tamang halaga, at sa mabilis na oras,” he added.
Sen. Bam reiterated his commitment to achieving these goals in partnership with local government units to ensure safe, disaster-resilient schools for all learners.
He also recently filed Senate Bill No. 121, or the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which seeks to address the backlog of 166,000 classrooms in public schools nationwide.
Under his proposed measure, local government units and non-government organizations (NGOs) with a proven track record will be authorized to construct classrooms in compliance with national standards and guidelines within their jurisdictions, with funding support from the national government.
Senator Bam Aquino also intends to integrate Mayor Leni’s proposed measures on full disclosure into his Senate Bill No. 1330, or the Blockchain the Budget Bill, to strengthen transparency in the crafting and implementation of the national budget.
