By: Aliahcorr Balanon
Typhoon Opong left a trail of destruction in Sitio Licuson, Luyong Catungan village in Mobo town, Masbate, damaging homes. Despite the devastation, residents were thankful that no one was hurt.
The Department of Education (DepEd) confirmed that 1,300 classrooms and 13 million learners were affected by the severe tropical storm Opong (international name: Bualoi) across the country, reported on Sunday, Sept. 28.
DepEd said that 1,370 classrooms were affected, of the total of 891 classrooms incurred minor damage, 225 were heavily damaged, and 224 were destroyed beyond repair.
According to DepEd’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Services (DRRMS), as of Sept. 27, around 13.37 million learners, 569,251 teaching and non-teaching personnel were affected by the storm from 23,768 public schools in 128 divisions across 13 regions.
Regions hardest hit large parts of Luzon and the Visayas, making multiple landfalls in Eastern Samar, Masbate, Romblon, and Oriental Mindoro.
While Opong has exited the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Saturday morning, Sept. 27, DepEd is making sure that they are in lateral and vertical coordination with local government units (LGU) to manage rapid damage assessments, implement response protocols, and prepare for the resumption of classes.
“Our school DRRM teams, in partnership with LGUs and humanitarian clusters, are working to ensure continuity of learning while addressing urgent needs of affected communities,” DepEd said in a statement.
Additionally, DepEd assured the public that it is closely monitoring the storm’s long-term effects on schools and learners, and is mobilizing resources to provide technical support, repairs, and psychosocial interventions for affected areas.