Fire razes Gabaldon-style school building in Albay
INQUIRER FILES
LEGAZPI CITY — Flames engulfed a Gabaldon-type building of Camalig North Central School (CNCS) early Tuesday morning in Camalig town in Albay province.
Residents near the school located at Barangay Salugan said the fire started between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m. and lasted more than two hours.
The Camalig Bureau of Fire Protection responded but due to the spread and size of the flames, firemen from nearby municipalities of Daraga, Guinobatan, and Ligao had to come to aid them. Authorities declared the fire under control at 2:12 a.m.
Damages were estimated to be at P11,447,520. No casualties were reported during and after the incident.
In a Facebook post, Mayor Carlos Irwin “Caloy” Baldo Jr. lamented the destruction of CNCS’ Gabaldon building.
“This structure is a symbol of our history and heritage bestowed by our ancestors. It has been a cherished part of our community, and its loss is felt by all of us,” Baldo’s post said.
The destroyed Gabaldon building was considered a century-old landmark built in 1946 under Act No. 1801 (Gabaldon Act).
The structure was completed during the American colonial period as part of the nationwide initiative of Nueva Ecija’s Isauro Gabaldon who funded the construction of public school buildings in the Philippines.
The building is considered part of the tangible immovable cultural heritage property of Camalig tourism.
Now, only two Gabaldon buildings remain in the municipality: one at Camalig South Central School and the other at Baligang Elementary School.
The Gabaldon building housed CNCS’ eight classrooms, a library, the district supervisor’s office, and a function hall.
Reconstruction efforts will be pursued to ensure that CNCS’ Gabaldon building will be restored. —Geromae Hope de la Fuente, Inquirer Intern
