A 7.4 earthquake recently struck Mindanao, damaging 1,140 schools across eight regions, according to the Department of Education’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Services. The damage includes 1,297 totally destroyed classrooms, 1,004 with major damages, and 5,274 with minor damages, with estimated reconstruction costs of P4 billion. The earthquake also affected 14,925 teaching and non-teaching personnel and 168,945 students, with 244 reported injuries. In response, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered immediate action from relevant government agencies, stating that they will not leave until all affected citizens have returned to a relatively normal life. The Department of Education is working with the Department of Public Works and Highways to reconstruct and rehabilitate school facilities, with plans to build new classrooms and implement alternative delivery of instruction, including tent classrooms, to alleviate learning disruptions. Structural engineers have begun on-site inspections and investigations since October 11.
