DepEd chief Briones visits condemned school building as pupils ‘squat’ in nearby school

DepEd Sec. Leonor Briones (left) talks to school officials at Bagong Diwa Elementary School in Pandacan, Manila on June 5, 2018. Photo: Tina Panganiban-Perez

After learning from a GMA News exclusive that its students have been "squatting" in a nearby school since February, Education Secretary Leonor Briones on Tuesday visited Bagong Diwa Elementary School in Pandacan, Manila, which has been condemned because of cracks in the 50-year-old building.

“One way is to look at it as a crisis and example of bad management on the part of the Department of Education. But you can also look at it as a way of meeting immediately challenges about space. We cannot gamble with the children’s safety,” Briones said.

The construction of a new school building has been bid out, but actual construction has not yet started. According to school principal Jocelyn Carlos, the Commission on Audit’s go signal is needed before the building can be demolished to make way for the new one.

Briones says the COA inspected the property on the same day as well.

DepEd initially said the new school building may be used for the opening of school year. But after inspecting the school, the department recommended that all buildings in the compound be demolished and a building with a design different from the one earlier bid out be constructed instead.

This may push back the date of construction and completion because a new bidding must be conducted. — BM, GMA News