San Nicolas to have medium-rise school building

CEBU, Philippines — Another milestone is set to unfold in the Queen City of the South with the construction of the first-ever medium-rise school building in the country, to be built in the Don Vicente Rama Memorial National High School in Basak-San Nicolas yesterday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was expected to lead the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday, but his schedule was fully-loaded.

The president, however, was well-represented by three Cabinet members; Education Secretary Sonny Angara, Department of Publi Works and Highways’ Secretary Manuel Bonoan, and Secretary Amenah Pangandaman of the Department of Budget Management, plus several undersecretaries of the said departments.

Cebu City South District Representative Edu Rama, who was the one who pushed for the project, couldn’t be happier that his persistence or “pangungulit” worked.

Rama said that when he found out that DepEd was gearing towards building a medium-rise building, he wasted no time and inquired about it a few years back.

Cebu City was not on the short list of possible sites, Rama said, but he worked on the requirements, made numerous follow-ups to DepEd and other relevant offices until finally getting a nod to have this project.

There were several schools also being considered, but luckily it was the DVRMNHS, a school named after the father of the city’s charter and his own great-grandfather, that got DPWH’s nod following some specifications on the lot area.

Other schools endorsed for consideration in the south district include Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Memorial National High School in Barangay Labangon, Tisa II Elementary School in Barangay Tisa, and San Nicolas Elementary School in Barangay Duljo-Fatima.

"Garbo kaayo ni nato nga mga Sugbuanon nga ang labing unang medium-rise public school building,12-story with elevator ni ha, sa tibuok Pilipinas, gisugdan og tukod dinhi sa Sugbo," Rama said.

The said structure will have 42 classrooms and nine workshop rooms dedicated to junior and senior high school students in the Cebu City South District.

DepEd estimates that this structure will accommodate approximately 1,900 to 2,000 learners in a single shift plus an additional 450 learners who can utilize the nine laboratories/workshop rooms during one-hour science classes.

Based on the 2023-2024 enrollment, DVRMNHS has close to 4, 500 students not only from the said barangay itself, but also from Basak Pardo, Quiot Pardo, Poblacion Pardo, Bulacao Pardo, Kinasangan, Punta Princesa ,and Mambaling.

Construction of the medium-rise academic school building is scheduled to run from March to December of this year, with 24-hour construction shifts.

Sec. Bonoan said they are looking at finishing the construction in one year while Sec. Pangandaman said the budget allocated for this project may still increase to accommodate more students. — /BRP (FREEMAN)