Lopez Group puts up typhoon-resistant school building

MANILA, Philippines - The school buildings and classrooms being constructed in Leyte by the Lopez Group through ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya and Energy Development Corp. (EDC) are built to last.

This was the assessment of Undersecretary Danilo Antonio and Director Irwin Baylon of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery (OPARR) when they inspected the school buildings and classrooms of the New Ormoc City National High School (NOCHS) recently.

 “I’m very much impressed with the new school buildings and classrooms because they are definitely built to last.  Now, the students will never  have to worry again about missing their classes and worse, losing their  schools due to typhoons.

We commend and thank the Lopez Group for going beyond what is required and assisting OPARR in the rebuilding and rehabilitation of calamity-stricken areas particularly Leyte,” Antonio said.

The new school buildings can withstand wind velocity of 250 kilometers per hour based on the standards set by the Department of Public Works and  Highways (DPWH).

Roofing is reinforced using a new method of connecting the galvanized iron  sheet to the trestle.  The walls are thicker, almost double the old classrooms.  Instead of gutters where ripping off of the roof starts, inclined floors with drain canals were constructed.

The classrooms have higher ceiling and wider windows for better ventilation, and will also be furnished with electric fans and toilet facilities.

Third party experts supported the project: Sy^2 for the structural integrity of the building, W.V. Coscolluela and Casas for building design.

Initially, ABS-CBN Sagip Kapamilya and EDC are jointly building typhoon-resistant classrooms for four schools, namely: the New Ormoc City High School in Ormoc, Milagro Elementary School in Kananga, San Joaquin National High School in Palo, and Matlang Elementary School in Isabel. Other schools will also be assisted after construction of the four pilot schools.