HERMOSA, Bataan- Classes resumed Wednesday at the Almacen Elementary School in Hermosa, Bataan but the first thing that pupils, teachers and parents did was to clean the classrooms and surroundings from the mud caused by the big flood.
Pupils constructed a canal from the classroom to the barangay road to drain water from the muddied rooms. Teachers and parents cleaned the classrooms in preparation for regular classes within the day.
Letricia Arellano, 11, in Grade 6, said they have no classes since Monday. “Inabot po ng baha ang aming paaralan ng hanggang dibdib,” she said. Arellano with other pupils was cleaning the canal. Gov. Albert Raymond Garcia suspended classes in all levels, both public and private, last Monday because of the threat of the southwest monsoon or habagat enchanced by Typhoon Luis.
On Tuesday, classes resumed in the whole province but not in Almacen that remained flooded on the second day.
lood waters from knee-to breast-deep hit the barangay midnight of Sunday. “Regular classes na ngayon kaya lang naglilinis muna kami kasama mga bata at magulang,” said school principal Julieta Bernaldo.
She said that before the flood, they placed school materials on the second floor. “Kapag sumampa na ang tubig sa ground ng school mula sa kalsada, alsa balutan na kami,” the principal said. “May galis at alipunga na kami,” said teachers and mothers laughing while cleaning the floors of the classrooms.
ernaldo with guidance counselor Lorna Casino said the new school building undergoing construction will be a big help. The principal said the construction of the school was funded for P4.2 million by the Grassroots Foundation of Japan.
