NAGA CITY – Senator Bam Aquino visited Mayor Leni Robredo and inspected flooded and condemned classrooms in two public schools here, vowing to address the issues to ensure a safe and conducive learning environment for students.

During his inspection with Robredo at Julian B. Meliton Elementary School, Aquino found that 34 of the school’s 71 classrooms are frequently flooded, with 24 already unusable due to severe damage. Despite being declared unsafe, 10 of the flooded classrooms continue to be used because of the school’s shortage of learning spaces.

The school principal said flooding occurs because of the school’s low-lying location, swampy terrain, and undersized drainage system, which prevent floodwaters from subsiding quickly even after rainfall.

Classes in affected areas are often suspended during heavy rain, while Grade 2 and Grade 3 students follow a permanent shifting schedule due to the lack of classrooms.

Aquino observed similar conditions during his visit to Mabolo Elementary School.

“Mahalagang maaksiyunan ito ngayon na tina-tackle iyong budget ng classrooms at budget ng edukasyon. Mahalagang maprotektahan natin ang mga kabataan natin sa baha, sa lindol, at sa bagyo,” said Aquino, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Basic Education.

“Dapat maging climate resilient ang ating mga eskuwelahan. Dapat mapondoan nang tama, sa tamang presyo, sa tamang halaga, at sa mabilis na oras,” he added.

Aquino reaffirmed his commitment to work with local government units to establish safe, disaster-resilient schools for all learners.

He recently filed Senate Bill No. 121, or the Classroom-Building Acceleration Program (CAP) Act, which aims to address the backlog of 166,000 classrooms in public schools nationwide.

Under the measure, local government units and non-government organizations (NGOs) with a proven track record will be authorized to construct classrooms within their jurisdictions, in compliance with national standards and with funding support from the national government.