Caloocan City Mayor Enrico Echiverri said the City Engineering Office (CEO), City Building Office (CBO) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) have been going around the schools in a bid to secure the safety of the students and teachers.
He said the CEO has been meeting with school officials particularly regarding the structural safety of the Cecilio Apostol Elementary School (CAES) on Ma. Clara street between 7th and 8th Avenues on (East) Grace Park, Caloocan City. CAES was cited by Task Force on Building Inspection of the DPWH as one of around 60 school buildings in Metro Manila on the danger list.
Echiverri also ordered the CEO to inspect dormitories in the city to ensure they comply with the City Building Code. He has also ordered the conduct of fire and emergency drills to prepare students and teachers in cases when disasters should strike.
"Preparedness is the best defense against disasters, whether natural or man-made. Karaniwan kasing natataranta ang mga guro, mga estudyante pati na rin ng mga empleyado kapag may sakunang kagaya ng lindol o sunog. Sa halip na maging ligtas, ay nagiging dagdag pa sila sa listahan ng mga napahamak," he said.
In Malabon, the same report was gathered even as City Mayor Tito Oreta scheduled a daily distribution of school bags with school supplies to all public elementary and secondary schools in the city starting yesterday until Wednesday.
Virgilio de los Reyes, officer-in-charge of the Malabon-Navotas Schools Division Office, said there were no problems encountered on the first day of school in the area.
"In general, the first day of school was peaceful and orderly," De los Reyes said.
The official also disclosed they have stopped the holding of classes in schools identified by the DPWH to be in danger of collapse and unsafe for use.
Among those in the list were Imelda Elementary School; the Doña Maxima Blas Building and the Rodriguez Building, both of the Malabon Elementary School and the Potrero Elementary School-Main.
De los Reyes said a joint meeting has been set this Wednesday among representatives of the local government, the DPWH and the DepEd.
The shifting of classes into three from the previous two is being considered to accommodate all classes.
The over 20-year-old Tinajeros National High School which burned last year, a day before the opening of classes, had 10 rooms and is set to be reconstructed this month, De los Reyes said.
He added that the opening of the newly-constructed Malabon National High School, which was built with local funds, was a boon to the community. The number of rooms represented an accommodation for some 3,000 students.
Malabon-Navotas has a combined student population (elementary and high school) of some 110,000 (77,681 and 31,864, respectively).
Oreta also reported that Tañong Elementary School, which is perennially flooded, will benefit from the installation of a pumping station near Borromeo St.
Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco said he was satisfied with the no-hassle first day of school in his jurisdiction.
Among those in the "endangered" list in Navotas are Bangkulasi Elementary School, Daanghari Elementary School, Kapitbayan Industrial Arts Building; the Navotas Polytechnic College; San Roque Elementary School; Tangos 1 Elementary School; and the Wawa Elementary School.
In Valenzuela, City Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian congratulated all the traffic enforcers, who came in full force, and the city police, who delivered as they promised, for a job well done.
This developed as Gatchalian ordered the Traffic Management Office (TMO) to deploy some 159 traffic enforcers and 20 tow personnel to ensure the smooth flow of traffic.
TMO chief Rene Avendan said the strict enforcement of loading and unloading in the assigned zones helped prevent traffic congrestion.
The smooth traffic flow was also attributed to the pedestrian education drive conducted the previous week in the various public and private schools of the city through the principals and the parent-teachers associations (PTAs).
"If the children follow the traffic rules, the adults would be embarrassed if they don’t do the same," Avendan said.
City Schools Superintendent Almabella Bautista told The STAR the opening of classes was orderly and peaceful as expected despite some lingering problems. She said almost all the teachers in the city schools were present yesterday adding that a pattern is showing that enrolment showed some increase this year.
Bautista also ordered the closure of two schools reported by the DPWH task force to be unsafe for use.
The official said the two ordered closed were the Marulas Elementary School and the Canumay West Elementary School, which were reportedly old and ready to collapse and will either be repaired or demolished.
She added there were no more classes held under the trees. She said the enrolled students will be using the school gym, the library and the stage.— With Zsarina Salazar