Solon files bill for 'super' Marawi high school

A party-list representative has filed a bill which seeks for a budget amounting to P200 million for a "super" high school in the war-torn Marawi City.

Aangat Tayo partylist Representative Neil Abayon's House Bill 5963 proposes the P200-million rehabilitation and modernization of the Marawi City National High School (MCNHS).

"The appropriation of P200 million will be sufficient to enable the Marawi City NHS to perform its crucial role as an integral part of Marawi. Marawi City NHS must be secured as a center of peace and learning for the benefit of residents, particularly the youth, of Marawi City and its surrounding municipalities," Abayon said in a statement.

"Normalization of life in Marawi City will be enhanced by the quick resumption of classes, particularly in the largest school in the city, the Marawi City National High School," he added.

The 28-year-old lawmaker also pointed out the following needs of the school:

• Purchase of land to which the school shall be relocated;
• Acquisition of right of way and construction of the access roads to and from the school;
• Design, site development and construction of school buildings: (a) that have high resistance to earthquake, floods, and other natural calamities; (b) that can accommodate enrollment of at least four thousand (4,000) students and faculty complement of five hundred (500) public school teachers; (c) with offices and function rooms and facilities for the parents-teachers-community association, official student publications, official school publications, supreme student government, school athletes, and school clinic with patients’ beds, dental equipment, and medicines;
• Provision of security installations, equipment, measures, personnel, and training against robbery, theft, terrorism, and other security threats;
• Construction of a separate multi-purpose area within the school campus that can serve as, among others, an evacuation site and multi-sports activity venue;
• Provision and installation of high-bandwidth internet for the use of students, faculty, school administration and non-teaching personnel, a local area network and virtual private network (VPN), campus radio broadcast facilities, a campus-wide public address system, and a conference room/audio-visual function room;
• Construction of an Alternative Learning System (ALS) and Technical Training Center that can accommodate at least five hundred (500) learners;
• Installation, maintenance, and operation of power generation and electrical equipment and facilities, including solar energy and/wind energy for lights, potable water and sewerage facilities, communications and information technology equipment. and security equipment;
• Installation of temporary learning facilities, using quick-construction prefabricated materials and container vans, for the conduct of classes and operations of various school offices while the rebuilding activities are ongoing; and
• Provisions for and installation of other facilities and equipment deemed necessary by the Special Task Force for the operation and maintenance of the school.

Abayon said the MCNHS is projected to serve at least 1,200 high school students as other schools were destroyed following clashes between government troops and ISIS-inspired Maute group. —Anna Felicia Bajo/ALG, GMA News