DEPED MOBILIZES PREPAREDNESS OF SCHOOLS FOR TYPHOONS

JEMIMA D. NICASIO

The Department of Education (DepEd), through its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service (DRRMS), had coordinated with different agencies of the government for preparedness, monitoring, and response efforts in anticipation of the possible effects of the recent typhoon.

Based on data gathered by DRRMS, typhoon Ompong affected 76 school divisions, 19,704 schools, and 7,722,707 learners in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, V, VI, VIII, X, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), National Capital Region (NCR), CARAGA.

Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said there is a need to ensure that the educators, learners, personnel are prepared and safe, which is just as important as the need to ensure that education continues no matter what.

The DepEd had mobilized DRRMS and its field offices to make sure that all the efforts for preparedness are in place, and that damage will be minimal.

The Department and its field offices had taken the necessary actions to ensure that operations run smoothly and possible damages are mitigated.

The DepEd Central Office, meanwhile, ensured availability of funds for temporary learning spaces (TLS), clean-up and minor repair, hygiene kits, learners’kits, teachers’kits, and emergency school feeding; ensured resources like learning materials are on standby for deployment; ensured the availability of manpower in all DepEd offices; mobilized tracking of key officials, such as Regional Directors, Schools Division Superintendents, and chiefs of Education Support Services Division (ESSD) and School Governance and Operations Division (SGOD).

It alsi monitored regions and divisions with class suspension and schools used as evacuation centers; directed field offices to closely coordinate with local government units (LGUs) for local inter-agency actions to be taken; disseminated advisories from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) to regions and divisions; and deployed DRRMS staff for 24/ 7 red alert duty.

The DepEd Regional and Division Offices disseminated weather updates based in PAGASA issuances; monitored divisions with class suspension and schools used as evacuation centers; continued coordination with LGUs for inter-agency actions for preparedness and response in exposed provinces; deployed staff at the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) emergency operation center.

They also ensured availability of manpower for possible augmentation of Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) and Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) in affected divisions; ensured resources like learning materials are on standby for deployment; tracked key officials such as Regional Directors, Schools Division Superintendents, and chiefs of ESSD and SGOD; monitored schools on their preparedness measures per DepEd Order 83, series 2011 (Disaster Preparedness Measures for Schools) and DepEd Memorandum 108, series 2016 (Preparedness Measures for the Rainy Season); and released memorandum for the activation of School DRRM Coordinators.

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The author is Teacher I at Atlu-Bola High School, Mabalacat City.