Mayor Maria Angela “Gila” Garcia said four container van-style classrooms are being installed with air-conditioning units for immediate use by school children from pre-elementary to Grade 4 at the Bayan- Bayanan Elementary School.
Three others, intended for Grades 5 and 6 pupils, are soon to arrive anytime this month, she said.
“Pansamantala lamang ang mga ito habang pinaplano at gagawin ang permanent school ng Barangay Bayan-Bayanan upang maging mas maganda ang pag-aaral ng mga bata sa taong ito,” Garcia said.
The mayor said that the Bayan-Bayanan Elementary School built sometime in 2004 was destroyed by landslides in 2012 and declared unsafe.
Since then, school children held classes in poorly-ventilated and overcrowded small Bahay Kalinga buildings and chapel adjacent to the barangay plaza.
Garcia said building another school as replacement to the abandoned school has been budgeted since 2013 but a legal problem arose on the site donation, Bayan- Bayanan being an ancestral land.
“This year, the site has been identified and approved and soon construction of a permanent school building will begin,” the mayor said.
She said the container van-style classrooms are worth about P400,000 each but it will not be put to waste even after a new school building rises in the Aeta village.
“Hindi naman masasayang dahil magagamit ang mga ito bilang day care at health services centers ng alinman sa 46 barangay ng Dinalupihan,” Garcia said.
Aeta mothers were happy and thanked the mayor for giving their children airconditioned classrooms.
Teresa Culila thanked the mayor but hoped for a permanent school building for her children in Grades 3 and 5.
School Principal Raffy Abilong said there are 185 school children for this school year. “Any time pwede nang magamit ang mga container vans,” he said.
“Medyo mainit,” the principal said when asked of the condition of the classrooms teachers and children have been using for almost five years.
