INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� A total of P1.134 billion was released by the Philippine government to fund the Department of Education鈥檚 (DepEd) conservation and restoration of heritage school buildings.
Department of Budget and Management (DBM) Secretary Mina Pangandaman approved the special allotment release order in early March, emphasizing that the heritage buildings 鈥渉old [a] promise of progress.鈥�
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鈥淟et us restore and preserve the dignified spaces of our Gabaldon School Buildings and other heritage structures. Whether nestled in bustling cities or remote provinces, these historic edifices hold the promise of progress,鈥� Pangandaman said in a statement issued Tuesday.
DBM explains that Gabaldon Buildings are 鈥渉eritage school buildings鈥� in the Philippines that were initially constructed during the colonial period of the United States. Currently, there are 2,045 Gabaldon School Houses across the Philippines.
READ: Funds sought to save Gabaldon buildings
鈥淭ogether, we forge a path toward a renewed Philippines, leaving no one behind as espoused by President Bongbong Marcos鈥� vision of a Bagong Pilipinas,鈥� Pangandaman said.
Meanwhile, DBM said the allocated funds will cover the following regions:
- Cordillera Administrative Region
- CARAGA
- National Capital Region (NCR)
- Region I (Ilocos Region)
- Region II (Cagayan Valley)
- Region聽 III (Central Luzon)
- Region IV-A (Calabarzon)
- Region聽 IV-B (Mimaropa)
- Region聽 V (Bicol Region)
- Region VI (Western Visayas)
- Region VII (Central Visayas)
- Regio VIII (Eastern Visayas)
- Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula)
- Region聽 X (Northern Mindanao)
- Region XI (Davao Region)
- Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN)
The agency specifically noted that the fund would benefit 654 classrooms in 83 sites across the country.
鈥淭he restoration process includes site improvements such as school ground site leveling and grading, with high regard for building safety and integrity, and removal of obstructions and unsafe structures around the Gabaldon building,鈥� said Pangandaman.
Along with the release of the billion-peso fund, DBM tasked DepEd and the Department of Public Works and Highways to ensure that the heritage buildings are 鈥渇ully restored鈥� and 鈥渘ot just renovated.鈥�