CALUMPIT, Bulacan—Officials are addressing head-on the disruption of regular face to face classes in at least ten schools affected by high tide with the construction of elevated classrooms.
Gilbert Agapito, District Supervisor of Calumpit North District of the Schools Division of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Bulacan sees construction of two story classroom buildings as one of the major solutions in abating the high level of tidal waters that disturb the in person classes in his area.
Classes of grades 1-6, junior and senior high schools in Pascual O. Cruz Memorial School, Meysulao elementary, San Miguel and Meysulao High Schools, Dona Daminana De Leon Macam Memorial Elem School, Bulusan and Frances elementary schools, Pulo and Linagit primary schools, Meyto elementary school and Frances National High Schools were shifted into online and modular (Alternative Delivery Mode) last week as high tide levels were at 4.53 ft, 4.79ft and 4.76 respectively on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, (June 25, 26 and 27).
But in some schools which already have newly constructed 2-3 meters high elevated buildings, face to face classes are uninterrupted except that when roads are not passable due to high tide.
“The one storey buildings are commonly no longer in use and functional and needed to be replaced because of the high tide. We need more of these buildings,” he fold NEWSCORE Bulacan.
Agapito welcomes an elevated classroom building with 4 rooms that will also be constructed in Barangay Meysulao, the hardest high tide-stricken village in Calumpit. The facility will be constructed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). Also, similar buildings will be constructed in other schools through the help of Gov. Daniel Fernando.
“I brough the pdoblem to our Governor and he assured me of more buildings to be built. I am very grateful to Gov. Daniel,” he said.
“Last year, we have two storey classrooms that were donated by the Bulacan Provincial Government and two more will be consructed this year,” he said.
According to him, there are also funds from DepEd for the construction of similar elevated rooms for three schools.
The ten schools belong to the fifteen out of 29 barangays that are in the low-lying areas of Calumpit—San Miguel, Meysulao, Frances, Gatbuca, Meyto, Panducot, San Jose, Sta. Lucia, Bulusan, Gugo, Calizon, Iba 0’ Este, Balungao, Sapang bayan, and Caniogan under Calumpit North District of the Department of Education (DepEd) in Bulacan, according to Calumpit municipal disaster risk reduction management office (MDRRMO) head Enriquito Santiago Jr.
Other solutions
Agapito said shifting of classes are also being done to address the dusruption to classes.
Also, according to the district supervisor, the municipal health office provides medicines against leptospirosis which are distributed to the midiwfes in the barangays and redistributed to the students and the parents who soak their feet in the flood.
In many cases also, the school head said, children wear boots. Similar to the high tide-stricken villages of Hagonoy, not only are the schools submerged in waters but more so, the residential areas and the roads and paths in between which the students have to take in going to their schools.
Amid the resiliency and the help of the different national and local government agencies, Agapito continuous to lament the flooding in the areas and the suffering of the students. “Hindi pwede na every year na high tide ay ganun na lang lagi,” (It cannot just be this way all the time, that we will just settle for this every time there is a high tide every year), he said.
Alexander Cruz, District Supervisor of South District of Calumpit said the schools in his areas are yet to be affected of high tide and continue conduct regular face to face classes.
Calumpit is adjacent the coastal town of Hagonoy that is located in the mouth of Manila Bay. Hagonoy, less than a kilometer distance to Manila Bay is already below sea level, according to former Hagonoy municipal disaster risk reduction management office (MDRRMO) chief Renato Crisostomo.
Calumpit is also adjacent the low-lying towns of Pampanga which flood waters would not flow and are left stagnant during the whole year.
