New school eyed for remote Argao villages in wake of drownings

A new high school in barangay Canbantog, Argao town will be built so that children won’t have to walk far and cross a river to attend classes, Argao Mayor Edsel Galeos said yesterday.

“The school will cater to one cluster including students coming from Canbantog, Tabayag, Lapay and others. That way, they won’t have to cross the stream to get to the nearest school,” Galeos said in a phone interview .

He said an accessible school would prevent drownings like what happened to three students who were swept away by a flashflood last Monday as they were walking home from classes about 4 p.m.

Galeos said he wrote the Department of Education (DepEd) last year for his request for a new school.

Students of neighboring barangays would often walk 40 minutes to 2 hours to get to Calagasan National High School, the nearest one in the area.

Crucial areas

Galeos said an engineering team visited the accident site yesterday to assess the area.

The mayor said he is considering building a proper spillway, a footbridge or a drainage system.

“We will find ways to address the problems in the crucial areas but we need to make a study first,” he said.

Galeos said teachers, barangay officials and parents should also be oriented on disaster prevention and risk management.

Risks

The Argao municipal government gave P20,000 in burial aid and P15,000 in cash assistance to the families of the three students.

Today, funerals will be held for 15-year-old Rachelle Anne Pasahe and Caroline Marzon who will be laid to rest in the Argao Public Cemetery.

The body of 13-year old Earl Kylle Sardido will be buried in a cemetery in Manlapay, Dalaguete town, on Saturday.

Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III, whose father’s family comes from barangay Colawin in Argao, said he will contact Mayor Galeos to discuss how the province can help the town.

“We have many areas in Cebu that pose risks to residents. It is only right to fix them,” said Davide.

Dangerous areas

The provincial DepEd office called on school principals to identify danger areas in their communities to avoid a repeat of the drownings.

DepEd Division Supt. Arden Monisit said they will ask local government units , particularly barangays, to assign tanods to help fetch children to and from their homes especially if the schools are located in remote areas.

Monisit said DepEd will also give aid to the families of the three students of Calagasan National High School.

Caroline Marzon, Richelle Pasaje, and Earl Kyle Sardido were on their way home from school on Monday when the water from the mountain swept them away while they were crossing the river. /With Correspondent Carine M. Asutilla

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