DAVAO CITY—The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) has allocated P1 billion to rush the construction of classrooms starting this month.
The Department of Education (DepEd) ARMM said 819 classrooms would be built across the region in time for the implementation of senior high school, said Dr. John Magno, ARMM’s Education secretary. The projects are worth more than P1 billion from the DepEd-ARMM’s 2015 Basic Education Facilities Fund, he said.
The ARMM is composed of nine schools divisions: Maguindanao I and II; Marawi City; Lanao del Sur I and II; Lamitan City; Basilan; Sulu; and Tawi-Tawi. They have a total of 2,155 elementary schools and 304 secondary schools in the region, the DepEd said.
Magno said the Division of Maguindanao I would receive the biggest number of projects with 165 classrooms worth more than P158 million. The classrooms for senior high schools would be built in Guindulungan National High School in the town of Guindulungan. Two units of a one-story building with three classrooms each with a total worth of P5.3 million would be built in the school.
“Matutugunan talaga ng mga ipapatayong classrooms ang pangangailangan namin para sa senior high school,” said Morales Dilangalen, school head of Guindulungan
National High School.
The school has more than 800 students from Grade 7 to Grade 10. It accommodates students from nearby towns of Talayan and Datu Saudi Ampatuan, also in Maguindanao. In June this year the school would offer Grades 11 and 12 to almost 200 students.
A memorandum of agreement was already signed this week with ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman, Public Works Secretary Don Mustapha Loong and Magno. Eight highway district engineers witnessed the signing.
The projects would be implemented by DPWH-ARMM District Engineering Offices. Loong said its District Engineering Offices have already built “high-quality school buildings in the past.”
“Our target is to finish all these projects this year,” Loong said.
The construction of the schools division offices of Basilan and Lamitan City would also roll out with P11 million and P10 million funding, respectively, this year, the DepEd ARMM said.