President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday ordered the immediate rehabilitation of public school classrooms constructed during the administration of his late father, President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr., noting that many of these structures were due for replacement two decades ago.
President Marcos stated that the Marcos-type buildings were supposed to have been replaced 20 years ago, emphasizing the urgency of restoring aging educational infrastructure to ensure the safety and readiness of learning environments nationwide.
“Alam niyo ba ‘yung ibang nakita namin na school building, Marcos-type school building pa,” President Marcos said during a media interview after inspecting the Tibagan Elementary School in Bulacan for the start of the annual Brigada Eskwela school opening preparations.
“Ang life niyan is 20 to 30 years. Pero ayan at least mabuti na lang at nagagamit pa. But we really have to look at the rehabilitation of many of them,” added the President.
The administration of the President’s father was from 1965 to 1986.
President Marcos, together with his son William Vincent, Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara, and Presidential Communications Office Secretary Jay Ruiz, led the official kickoff of Brigada Eskwela 2025 at Barihan Elementary School in Malolos City and Tibagan Elementary School in San Miguel, Bulacan.
According to the DepEd, among the various types of existing public school buildings in the country is the Marcos pre-fabricated type, which was built starting in 1970.
With a classroom size of 6 meters by 7 meters, the Marcos pre-fabricated type school building has ordinary corrugated galvanized iron sheet for roofing, steel rafters for roof framing, no ceiling, steel railings for windows, steel doors, and 6” concrete hollow blocks for walls.
An annual activity of DepEd, Brigada Eskwela, encourages the spirit of bayanihan for community collaboration to ensure schools are ready for the upcoming school year.
With literacy as a key priority of the DepEd, this year’s theme is “Sama-sama Para sa Bayang Bumabasa.”
The program’s goal is to make sure that the school is clean, safe, and ready for learning before classes start, the DepEd said. | PND
