Marcos visits new buildings in fire-hit QC school

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the inspection of the two newly completed school buildings at the San Francisco High School in Quezon City, which replaced a facility damaged by fire last year.

Marcos said he is happy and proud about the construction of the buildings, housing a total of 60 classrooms, as they now cater to more students.

“Almost one year ago na nagkasunog dito at ininspeksyon natin after that, at nakita naman natin na talagang walang wala na. Hindi na magamit. It was even on the verge of being condemned,” the President said.

(Almost one year ago, this school was affected by fire and we inspected it after and saw how damaged it was. It was no longer usable. It was even on the verge of being condemned.)

“Ngunit dinesign natin nang mabuti… Originally ito, two storeys. Pero ang sinabi ko sa kanila gawin ninyo nang four dahil kaya naman. Ang pinakamaganda rin dito ay ‘yung natapos itong construction na ito in eight months,” he added.

(But we designed it properly... Originally, this was supposed to be two storeys only. But I told them to build four storeys because it’s feasible. The best thing here is that the construction was completed in eight months.)

The new four-storey Dao building was built by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), replacing the fire-damaged structure. It has 36 classrooms.

Meanwhile, the new Henry Sy Sr. Hall, funded by SM Supermalls, replaced the old Narra Building and added 24 classrooms.

With the additional classrooms, the President said that the school no longer has to implement a double shift to cater to all its students.

“Ang pinakamalaking bagay dito ay hindi na sila nagdo-double shift. Ang mga bata nakakauwi ng alas-3, alas-4. Ganoon din ‘yung ating mga guro na imbis na umuuwi ng alas-7, alas-8 ng gabi, ay nakakauwi na sila kagaya ng normal na estudyante, which is in the afternoon,” Marcos said.

(The best thing here is that they don't implement double shifts anymore. The children get home at 3 or 4 p.m. The same goes for our teachers who get to go home in the afternoon, instead of 7 or 8 p.m.)

“Kaya naging mas maluwag ang schedule, naging mas maluwag ang physical location ng ating mga bata, which is conducive to better learning,” he explained.

(The class schedule has become more relaxed, and even the physical location for our children is better, which is conducive to better learning.)

The San Francisco High School serves over 6,000 learners and is among the largest public secondary schools in the Philippines.

On June 15, 2025, a fire broke out at San Francisco High School in Barangay Bagong Pag-asa, Quezon City. Aside from classrooms, areas affected by the blaze were the faculty room.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara earlier said that the DPWH had recommended the demolition of the damaged area and building of a new structure.

“We're working together. Makita naman talaga ninyo (you can really see) what it is that we can achieve as long as the money goes to the project, not into people's pockets,” Marcos said.

“Basta't pumasok sa proyekto nang tama, ay ganito ang ating nagagawa. Patuloy nating gagawin ‘yan at patuloy nating titiyakin na ang pondo ng pamahalaan ay napupunta sa mga proyektong kagaya nito,” he continued.

(As long as the budget goes to the project entirely, this is what we can do. We will continue to do that and we will continue to ensure that government funds go to projects like this.) —AOL, GMA News