DepEd to demolish school buildings along fault line

The fourth floor of Barangka High School building (left) will no longer be used for classses after the school was identifies as amonf those that will be affectes by an earthquake generated along the West Valley Fault. Only some rooms in the first to third floors will be used.

The Department of Education (DepEd) yesterday said it will demolish public-school buildings which lie directly at the West Valley Fault System as part of its long-term preparations for the 7.2-magnitude quake that can rock Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

In a press conference, Education Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro identified five public-school buildings which lie directly on the fault line: Barangka National High School in Marikina City, Alabang Elementary School, Pedro Diaz High School and Buli Elementary School in Muntinlupa City and Anne Claire Montessori in Taguig City.

Luistro said the education department’s policy is to immediately vacate buildings which are at the fault line.

“The policy of DepEd is that if a school building is traversed by a fault line and within the fault’s five meter zone, the immediate action is that it cannot be used to hold classes. It can be used as a storage

area or employees can enter it but only for a limited time. The medium-term policy is to actually demolish those buildings,” Luistro said in Filipino.

Subscribing to the department’s directive, principals and school heads of the five public schools, which are traversed by the West Valley Fault have presented their plans to make their schools earthquake-ready.

Barangka National High School Principal Maita Abergos said the school is coordinating with Ludigario National High School to temporarily use some of their classrooms. She said that the school might

use the condemned Rodriguez building from the adjacent elementary school as temporary classrooms.

Pedro Diaz High School Principal Estrella Aseron said that with four buildings traversed by the valley fault in her school, it has been decided that they should construct a new administration building.

Alabang Elementary School will build a “learning center” where students can learn about the Valley Fault system, said school principal Dr. Antonio Rocha.

Luistro discredited reports saying Barangka Elementary School, Tibagan Elementary School and Tibagan National High School are transected by the valley fault. The 100-kilometer West Valley Fault traverses 18 cities and municipalities in Metro Manila and adjoining provinces.

TEACHERS ‘FIRST IN, LAST OUT’

Luistro also mentioned the implementation of “first in, last out” policy, which means that teachers cannot leave the school until all students have been accounted for. “We serve as the parents of our

students, so my directive to the principals and the teachers is ‘first in, last out’ because we our responsible for the welfare of our students first before our own families,” he said.

“In any disaster, I told the teachers: ‘We have to ensure leadership.’ That until everyone goes home, you cannot leave the school. That is a special role of the teacher. You have to be the second parents of the youth,” Luistro said. /INQUIRER.NET