President Bongbong Marcos has ordered the Department of Public Works and Highways to replace condemned school buildings after students in Rizal, Kalinga were found still using classrooms already declared unsafe.
The directive followed Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon’s inspection of Liwan West Elementary School, where school buildings constructed in the 1980s remained in use because no replacement facilities were available. The situation showed a serious gap in public school infrastructure: children were still holding classes inside structures that should no longer be occupied.
During the inspection, Dizon saw cracked concrete floors, deteriorating ceilings, and other structural defects that posed risks to students and teachers. He also noted the makeshift comfort rooms that learners and school personnel had been forced to use during the school year.
Dizon said Marcos had instructed agencies to go directly to communities, assess urgent needs, and act on problems found on the ground.
“That was the President’s directive—to go around, assess the situation, and find solutions,” Dizon said after inspecting the school, adding that the same approach would be replicated in other parts of the country.
“We must ensure that our students have proper places to learn,” he further said. “Let’s give our children the dignity they deserve.”
The DPWH said the order forms part of the administration’s push to provide Filipino students with safe, comfortable, and quality learning environments. For Liwan West Elementary School, the replacement project is expected to give learners in the remote Kalinga community safer and more conducive classrooms.
The issue now turns on delivery. Marcos has ordered action, and the DPWH must replace unsafe buildings so students are not forced to study in classrooms already condemned.
