Education Secretary Sonny Angara, alongside fellow Cabinet members, joined an on-ground assessment of heavily damaged schools in Davao Occidental to accelerate recovery efforts following consecutive earthquakes and flash floods over the past weeks.
Together with Cabinet Secretary Benhur Abalos, Department of Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian, and Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Vince Dizon, Angara inspected severely impacted educational facilities in the municipality of Jose Abad Santos to evaluate the extent of damage and coordinate rehabilitation efforts, while monitoring the immediate needs of affected learners, teachers, and displaced families.
Following the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to fast-track government interventions, Secretary Angara emphasized the urgency of an organized, multi-agency response to restore normalcy for learners and teachers.
“Napakalinaw ng direktiba ng ating Pangulong Bongbong Marcos: hindi pwedeng maghintay ang edukasyon, kaya dapat nating maibalik sa normal ang sitwasyon dito sa lalong madaling panahon,” Angara said. “Nandito tayo para tiyakin na tuluy-tuloy ang pag-aaral ng mga bata sa kabila ng krisis,” he added.
The Cabinet officials visited several severely affected schools and public facilities following a series of natural disasters in the region.
On June 8, 2026, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake centered in Maasim, Sarangani province caused widespread damage across Mindanao, including Davao Occidental. This was followed by flash floods and landslides in Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental on July 10 and 14 triggered by the southwest monsoon (Habagat) and Typhoon Inday. The situation was further compounded by a magnitude 6.5 tremor on July 14, which severely disrupted school operations and displaced communities in Jose Abad Santos.
At the Emeliano S. Fontanares Sr. National High School in Barangay Sugal, the earthquake left eight classrooms totally damaged, six with major damage, and two with minor damage. The disaster also caused structural damage to the school gymnasium and concrete fences, and while no fatalities were recorded, one teacher and ten learners sustained injuries.
Meanwhile, inspections revealed that Edna Guillermo Memorial National High School in Barangay Nuing lost 31 classrooms to total destruction and three to major damage, severely affecting its 780 learners.
The delegation also visited Butulan Elementary School, which sustained seven totally damaged and two minor-damaged classrooms, and also served as a temporary evacuation center.
As part of its rapid recovery mechanism, the Department of Education (DepEd) has mobilized immediate financial and logistical assistance to the affected schools. To date, DepEd has released PHP3.51 million to fund immediate critical activities on the ground, which includes PHP2.061 million downloaded for clean-up and clearing operations and PHP1.449 million for minor repairs.
To prevent prolonged disruptions to schooling, Davao Occidental has been prioritized for Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS) deployment, which will construct 77 LCS units across 23 target sites in the province, including Don Marcelino, Jose Abad Santos, Malita, Santa Maria, and Sarangani municipalities.
Acknowledging the emotional toll of successive disasters, DepEd also successfully rolled out Psychological First Aid (PFA) sessions the previous week for affected learners and teaching personnel at Edna Guillermo Memorial NHS to support their psychosocial well-being.
DepEd continues to work closely with local government units (LGUs), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), and health authorities to oversee continuous relief assistance, engineering reviews for permanent reconstruction, and long-term climate-resilient engineering standards for Mindanao schools.
