Teachers, parents complain building construction delay

BOBON, NORTHERN SAMAR, Philippines — The construction of a six-classroom two-storey building of Bobon School for Philippine Craftsmen (BSPC) in Bobon, Northern Samar started on September 2015, but up to this day it remained unfinished to the detriment of the senior high school students who were supposed to use it this schoolyear.

This sad state of public infrastructure project, intended to address the lack of classrooms for BSPC—located at Barangay Magsaysay in this town—prompted the teachers and parents of the students to file their complaint at the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Education.

BSPC Principal Cesar Torres, in an interview with local reporters, disclosed the “undue delay” of more than a year already in the school building construction, which as of this month the accomplishment is only estimated to be 60 percent.

“With the normal pace of construction, the building could have been finished by July this year, but then only a few workers are involved here, as if they are not in a hurry to finish the building,” Torres lamented.

Torres added that, based on their observations, construction works use “substandard materials and the mixing of the cement is not within the usual or proper mixture for a strong building.”

He admitted though that his office does not know the particulars of the project because there is no signage at all—as required for a government project—to indicate the cost and other details of the construction.

“We have been asking for the program of work of the project but we were not given by the DPWH,” Torres complained.

He deplored with the delay of the construction  saying that the building cannot be used this opening of classes and solve the shortage of classrooms in his school.

“We are asking for the DPWH, the DepEd, and other concerned agencies for an investigation into the delay of this project,” Torres said.

DPWH-Northern Samar First District Engineer Mario Soriano, for his part, told The Freeman that his office will look into the complaints of the school officials and parents regarding the status of the project, but he could not ascertain when this construction could be completed for the sake of the students.

Bobon is a fourth-class municipality with 18 barangays. According to the 2015 census, it has a population of 23,668 people. The town borders with Catarman in the east and San Jose town in the west. (FREEMAN)