BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

Following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s order for an immediate response, Education Secretary Sonny Angara joined national government officials in Davao Oriental on Saturday to assess the impact of the 7.6-magnitude earthquake and to oversee the Department of Education’s (DepEd) rapid response operations for affected schools.

Angara said DepEd has frontloaded and accelerated the release of the agency’s Quick Response Funds (QRF)—a process that previously took up to two years—to provide faster assistance to schools hit by recent calamities in Masbate, Cebu, and most recent quake-hit Davao Oriental

To date, ₱139.4 million in aid has been released for typhoon-hit schools in Masbate, while validation and damage assessments are ongoing in Cebu and Davao Oriental.

“Hindi na puwedeng maghintay pa ng dalawang taon bago dumating ang tulong,” Angara said. “Kapag nasira ang paaralan, dapat mabilis ang aksyon, dahil bawat araw na nasasayang ay isang araw na hindi nakakapag-aral ang mga bata.”

As of 9:00 a.m. on October 11, DepEd reports that 1,006 schools have been affected by the magnitude 7.4 that struck offshore near Manay, Davao Oriental on Friday, impacting around 100,000 learners and 10,000 teachers in different regions. Among those affected, 139 learners and 50 teachers sustained injuries. To ensure safety, 97% of the affected schools suspended classes on Friday to allow structural inspections.

Initial visual assessments found 575 schools with varying degrees of damage, with estimated repair costs reaching ₱2.23 billion. DepEd’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS), engineers, and DRR coordinators are conducting rapid site inspections in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local governments.

Angara emphasized DepEd’s commitment to strengthen its internal engineering capacity to complement national and local efforts for quicker recovery.

“Mayroon tayong 472 engineers sa buong bansa, at kailangan pa nating palawakin ang bilang at kakayahan nila,” Angara added. “Kasama ang DPWH at mga lokal na pamahalaan, gusto nating bumuo ng isang mas mabilis, mas matatag, at mas maaasahang sistema ng pagtugon.”

Angara reaffirmed that DepEd’s priority is ensuring the safety of learners and teachers while keeping education going, even in times of disaster.

“Our goal is simple: when disaster strikes, help should already be on the way,” he said.

*All Photos from DepEd