Senator Win Gatchalian calls on the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to establish academic facilities that can withstand calamities.

Gatchalian’s Senate Bill 747, or the proposed Evacuation Act, mandates all cities and municipality to establish school buildings that can outlast wind speeds of up to 320 kilometers per hour or 200 miles per hour and moderate seismic activity of at least 7.2 magnitude.

“Sa ating pagkukumpuni o pagpapatayo ng mga bagong gusali sa mga paaralan, kailangang siguruhin nating ang disenyo ng mga ito ay kayang makaiwas sa pinsalang maaaring idulot ng mga kalamidad,” he said.

The Senate Basic Education, Arts, and Culture Committee chairman also noted on Thursday that the DPWH only managed to construct 10 out of the target 5,174 this year, while accomplishing 180 classrooms out of the target 4,580 in 2019.

“It’s not really the fault of DepEd but the absorptive capacity of the DPWH, in so far as building classrooms, is highly questionable. It seems to me, it takes them about two years to build classrooms from start to end,” he during the 2021 budget debate for DepEd.

Building typhoon-resistant school buildings would be a long-term investment as it would prevent the government to spend on damaged materials from time to time.

According to a report by Global Peace Index 2019, Philippines is highly exposed to climate hazards such as earthquakes, tsunami, floods, tropical cyclones and drought.

Despite being hit by deadly calamities in the past, the country still relies on schools, covered courts, and gyms as a temporary home for affected residents.

Typhoon Ulysses is the 21st tropical cyclone of 2020. As of November 17, it reached 73 fatalities and has left 727,738 affected families.