DepEd: Over 6.5M learners affected as Habagat disrupts classes in 8 regions

More than 6.5 million learners have been affected by the impact of the southwest monsoon (Habagat) as classes continue to be disrupted by floods and inclement weather in several parts of the country, according to the Department of Education (DepEd).

As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, the DepEd reported that 9,890 public schools in eight regions were under active in-person class suspension, affecting 6,512,872 learners and 284,725 personnel.

Central Luzon has the most schools with active class suspensions with 3,569, followed by the Ilocos Region with 1,791, and MIMAROPA with 1,278.

Other affected regions were CALABARZON with 1,145 schools, the National Capital Region with 776, the Cordillera Administrative Region with 696, Western Visayas (Region VI) with 415, and Central Visayas (Regions VII) with 220.

Continuing rains have also forced 134 schools to serve as evacuation centers, using 522 classrooms and accommodating 2,815 families.

Nearly 1,000 schools damaged

School infrastructure has also been crippled by the Habagat in different parts of the country.

Based on DepEd's rapid damage assessment, 961 schools reported damaged classrooms, consisting of 3,297 minor-damaged classrooms, 1,135 major-damaged classrooms, and 1,093 totally damaged classrooms.

The DepEd also reported damage to non-infrastructure, including 10,883 learning materials, 440 ICT equipment units, and 9,360 chairs.

The department said it is processing funds for repair and recovery.

A total of P26.998 million has been allocated for cleanup and clearing operations covering the 961 affected schools, while P161.553 million has been earmarked for the minor repair of 3,297 classrooms.

Schools as safe havens

A total of 134 schools were being used as evacuation centers in several regions.

Most of them were in Central Luzon with 79 schools, followed by CALABARZON with 31, NCR with 15, Eastern Visayas with 5, MIMAROPA with 3, and CAR with 1.

These schools were accommodating affected families while also dealing with the disruption of regular education operations.

DepEd's Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service said it continues to monitor the situation and coordinate response and recovery efforts.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration's (PAGASA) forecast indicated that the southwest monsoon would continue to bring cloudy skies and rains over Luzon, with moderate to heavy rainfall potentially triggering flash floods and landslides.

The department said it has initiated the first batch of Cleanup and Clearing Operations (CUCO) and Minor Repair (MR) funds to support affected schools and learning continuity. — VDV, GMA News