Evacuees, students share use of classrooms in CAMSUR

PILI, Camarines Sur (Aug 7, 2007) – Two weeks into the aftermath of Typhoon Juaning, hundreds of evacuees have no choice but to sleep in classrooms that students use in day time.

This cumbersome arrangement ensued after classes were ordered resumed even in the still flooded areas in the 2nd and 5th districts of Camarines Sur.

Department of Education (DepEd) Camarines Sur Schools Division Superintendent Emma I. Cornejo said that regular classes have resumed even in flooded areas of the province since August 3.

Classes are held during day time in classrooms that serve as sleeping quarters for evacuees in the evening. Other school ground facilities are also made available to evacuees.

Cornejo said DepEd Secretary Arni Luistro directed local school officials to implement schemes that enable regular classes to continue despite the lingering flood-waters, at the same time allowing evacuess to use school facilities.

Many evacuees in schools turned evacuation centers have no more houses to return to and others come from low-lying villages where flood waters are slow to recede.

The DepEd Camarines Sur Schools Division Office revealed that nearly a thousand evacuees are still living in classrooms in the 5th district towns of Bula and Bato.

According to DepEd Camarines Sur Division Physical Facilities Coordinator William A. Villare, there are presently 491 evacuees who are sheltered in Bula National High School, 220 in San Vicente Elementary School in Bato and more than 300 each in Bato North Central School and Bato South Central School.

Many houses near Lake Bato were washed away aggravating the the problem with evacuees, Villare said.

During an inspection of school facilities in Bato this week, Villare said homeless evacuees are expected to stay in the schools indefinitely and may be unable leave the schools unless the local government could provide them alternative temporary shelters.

But Villare said more problems may arise because classrooms are not designed for long-term use as living quarters. At this time, comfort rooms are in short supply of water and the toilet bowls are easily clogged because of heavy usage.

Data provided by school principals indicate that as many as 4,822 public school pupils and about 127 teachers reported school-related problems caused by floods in the 5th district of Camarines Sur.

In the 2nd district, 4,000 pupils and 160 teachers in 4 elementary schools in Milaor, 1,500 pupils and 50 teachers in Minalabac Central School and 2,500 pupils and 80 teachers in San Fernando Central School also reported being affected by floods.

The Schools Division Property Section Officer also said that school properties valued at several millions of pesos, including undetermined number of computers, public school records and thousands of books maybe condemned as unusable.

Villare also revealed that based on damage reports submitted by school principals in the 35 towns of the province, damages caused by flash-floods to school properties, structures and facilities are estimated at P 448,100,000 million pesos. (With report from Sonny Sales)