2 villages have teachers but no school

Misamis Oriental, Philippines - The schoolchildren of Barangays Tambobong and Balacanas in Villanueva town will have no school to go this coming June. Their school, Balacanas Elementary school, will soon be demolished to make way for the $2 billion shipyard facility to be built by Hanjin Heavy Industries in Villanueva town along with its barangay hall and day care center. The public school teachers in Balacanas Elementary School in Villanueva town vowed they would not abandon their students and their school. "Mag-enroll gyud mi kay dili mosugot ang schools division superintendent nga basta nalang ipahawa ang mga pupils nga walay klarong kabalhinan (We will enroll the students because our education officials insisted that we will since our students have nowhere to go)," Aida Cayabas, Villanueva district supervisor of Department of Education (DepEd) told Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro. Cayabas said they will still accept students for the school year 2008-2009 on May 21 regardless if their school will be demolished or not. "As long as our students will be here, we will conduct classes even if we have to do it in makeshift classrooms. We pity these students," she said. Cayabas said a plan to distribute the students to other public schools in Barangay Dayawan, San Fernando and San Martin is not feasible since these schools are swamped with students from other barangays. "These schools are already overcrowded with students. It cannot accommodate more students. They have no more extra classrooms," she said. Cayabas said Balacanas Elementary School has 390 students from Barangays Balacanas and Tambobong -- the two villages that would soon be demolished by the Philippine Veterans Investments and Development Corporation (Phividec). Phividec have already paid the Municipal Government of Villanueva P13 million to demolish the school building, the balacanas barangay hall and day care center, according to Phividec administrator Ninfa-Along Albania. "It's true and that was two weeks ago. The payment was received by the municipality of Villanueva but we have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that the amount is intended for the reconstruction of the new school building at the relocation site," Albania said. Last Monday, parents and teachers met at the Balacanas Elementary School to discuss the future of their students. Tambobong barangay chairman Delilah Abellanosa told the parents there is a problem in the relocation site for the school after the landowner refused to sell his property to Phividec and Villanueva Municipal Government. Balacanas Elementary School principal Grace Magallanes informed the parents that certain Mrs. Jovita Opog, Human Resource Officer of Villanueva municipality, asked her to persuade the parents to sign a resolution that they agree for the demolition and relocation of their school. Magallanes warned the parents that agreeing to the resolution would be detriment to their children's welfare. "This resolution does not favor you. It is up to you whether to sign it or not," she said. Ramil Factura, president of the Parents Teacher Association (PTA), said the resolution should have come from the parents, not the Municipal Government. Factura, the parents, and schoolteachers passed their own resolution stating their disagreement to the demolition, unless a new school will be provided for the students this coming June.- Sun.Star Cagayan de Oro