New Cabancalan NHS building turned over

CEBU, Philippines - Students in Cabancalan National High School in Mandaue City will once again experience comfort after their school building, badly damaged by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake last October and super typhoon Yolanda in November, has been totally rehabilitated.

The new structure was turned over to the school's administration and the city government by its contractor yesterday afternoon.

After the buiding was abandoned following the quake, it underwent retrofitting at a cost of P4 million by Manila-based EC Structural Composite, Inc. shouldered by the Singapore-based Temasek Foundation and Nangyang Technological University.

It's now a "seismic-strengthened," two-storey, four-classroom school building, according to its contractor.

City schools division superintendent Virginia Zapanta said this is their first school building damaged by the quake and the super typhoon that has been completely repaired.

"We thank the donors, this really is a help," she said, adding the city government in coordination with their office, is working on the repair of  more school buildings tapping the resources of the private sector under the principle of public-private partnership.

Arlina Yap-Amante, school principal, said the school was lucky because after Mayor Jonas Cortes sent an inspection team immediately after the quake, a separate team from Temasek Foundation arrived to see for themselves the damage.

By the second week of  December last year, work commenced and completed for 45 days, she added.

"Despite the limited resources, our officials take on the challenge and partnered with the private sector in providing additional classrooms," said Mayor Cortes in his message read by Councilor Demetrio Cortes Jr.

According to the principal, students in the fourth year, grades 7 and 8, as well as students of night high school, will benefit from the newly refurbished facility. The school has a population of  2,000 students for day classes and 320 for night school.

Temasek Foundation, which took charge of the retrofitting, was established in May 2007, committed to rebuilding lives and livelihood affected by natural disasters. Another similar project was also undertaken by Temasek in Iloilo City. (FREEMAN)