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PH’s first 12-story academic school building to rise in DVRMNHS

By: Niña Mae C. Oliverio - Multimedia Reporter - CDN Digital | January 30,2025 - 05:27 PM

academic school building

The construction of the 12-story medium-rise academic school building breaks ground on Thursday, Jan. 30, in Brgy. Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City. | via Niña Mae Oliverio

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The first 12-story medium-rise academic school building in the Philippines will soon accommodate thousands of learners in the south district of Cebu City.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the building’s construction took place on Thursday, January 30, at the Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School (DVRMNHS) in Brgy. Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City.

Several cabinet members, regional officials from various agencies, and local government officials attended.

Among those present were Education Secretary Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and Cebu City South District Rep. Eduardo “Edu” Rama, Jr.

Several cabinet members, regional officials from various agencies, and local government officials attended.

P700 million was allocated for the building’s construction, which will house 42 classrooms and nine workshop rooms for junior and senior high school students in (DVRMNHS).

Address classroom shortages

It aims to address shortages of classrooms in the south district.

“It is no secret that classroom shortages continue to play in the City of Cebu,” Rep. Edu Rama said.

Rama said that in 2022, DepEd was looking to construct medium-rise school buildings as part of its School Building Program under the Basic Educational Facilities fund.

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Rama revealed that his office had initially endorsed schools for consideration in the South District, including Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School in Barangay Labangon, Tisa II Elementary School, and San Nicolas Elementary School in Barangay Duljo-Fatima.

“Following several inspections last year, DepEd and DPWH determined that DVRMNHS met the criteria for the medium-rise academic school building,” the Congressman explained.

Features

The medium-rise academic school building will house 42 classrooms and nine workshop rooms dedicated to junior and senior high school students in the Cebu City South District.

Its amenities include concession space, a clinic, a multi-purpose covered roof deck, elevators, a drinking fountain, a handwashing area, a PWD service ramp, a library with a librarian’s office, an audiovisual room, a home economics room, a computer laboratory, a chemistry laboratory, and a biology laboratory.

Secretary Bonoan said that the medium-rise academic school building will be a “resilient and sustainable infrastructure incorporating the latest green building standards and seismic codes to ensure safety, efficiency, and long-term durability.”

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Bonoan added that it is also engineered to withstand natural calamities, as it utilizes advanced structural systems that prioritize the safety of the occupants.

“I understand that Secretary Angara intimated to me that we will use this as a model for other similar projects all over the country,” Bonoan told reporters.

For his part, Angara asked the school’s teaching and non-teaching personnel to properly maintain it for long-term use.

Catering more learners

According to DepEd, the 12-storey academic school building will accommodate approximately 1,900 to 2,000 learners using the 42 classrooms in a single shift, plus an additional 450 learners who can utilize the nine laboratories/workshop rooms during one-hour science classes.

Based on the 2023-2024 enrollment, DVRMNHS has 4,878 students for the school year.

As of January 2025, there are 4,490 learners where most of them come from barangays Basak San Nicolas, Basak Pardo, Quiot Pardo, and with some from Poblacion Pardo, Bulacao Pardo, Kinasangan, Punta Princesa, and Mambaling.

Construction of this academic school building is scheduled to run from March to December of this year, with 24-hour shifts.

The 12-story building will be constructed on the site of the current hearing-impaired building and a one-story, two-classroom building within DVRMNHS’s 14,447-square-meter campus area.

In her speech, Pangandaman assured that the DBM would release the appropriated budget for the building.

“This project aligns closely with the goals of the DepEd, national and even in the regional office, to continuously improve our educational structure and foster meaningful collaborations with stakeholders,” DepEd-7 Director Salustiano Jimenezsaid.

Also present were Education Asst. Secretary Peter Irving Corvera, Undersecretaries Mel John Versoza, Wilfredo Cabral, and Trygve Olaivar.

DPWH Undersecretaries Roberto Bernardo, Carlos Mutuc, and Eric Ayapana also attended the groundbreaking for the academic school building. 

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