Ombudsman probes "defective" school building in Talamban

CEBU, Philippines - The Office of the Ombudsman Visayas has docketed a fact-finding investigation into the construction of a four-story school building in Talamban Elementary School because of complaints from parents that the building is substandard.

Assistant Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Palangca Santiago personally inspected the building last week, which was being used by students despite the lack of water supply and electrical connection.

Santiago said she found out that the building have plenty of cracks and that the walls reportedly look like it was built without using steel bars. The anti-graft office also found out that the blackboard is but ordinary plywood painted green and that school building lacks armchairs.

“Hallow ang bongbong mura og gi-file lang largo ang hallow blocks nga way steel bars,” Santiago said.

Santiago said they were not able to obtain much information about the project because the principal, Mrs. Anita Rodriguez, was not around during the inspection. Nevertheless, they already asked for the contract from the Department of Education to determine the allocation of the project.

Santiago said one of the teachers informed her that the building is a project of Cebu City education consultant Joy Augustos Young and that Rodriguez already filed a report on the status of the building before the DepEd division office.

Santiago said that due to lack of classrooms, the school was forced to use the school building even if it has not been formally turned over by the contractor.

However, a parent complained that Rodriguez reportedly told them they could no longer do anything about the damage because the building has been reportedly already accepted from the contractor.

The complaining parents expressed fear over the children’s safety in continuing to study in the school building in question. —Fred P. Languido/JMO (THE FREEMAN)