MANILA – The weeklong Brigada Eskwela in preparation for the opening of classes faced more challenges this year due to the floods spawned by the habagat enhanced by typhoon Carina. 

In Mandaluyong, rainwater swamped the Nueve De Pebrero Elementary School’s covered court on Wednesday. 

But this did not dampen the spirit of school personnel, as they washed and dried classroom curtains and cleaned blackboards in the days after--part of their preparations ahead of the opening of classes on July 29. 

"Iyong Kindergarten room namin na nandyan sa first floor, naglinis na sila dyan ng dalawang araw - Monday, Tuesday. Pagdating ng Wednesday bumaha, ang gamit nila sobrang nabasa,” Vicky Tamba, the school's Brigada Eskwela Coordinator, told ABS-CBN News. 

“Pero thankful kasi nandyan iyong aming non-teaching personnel, sila iyong unang-unang nag-Brigada sa mga rooms ng kinder. At the same time, iyong Kindergarten teacher namin pumunta sila dito para mag-Brigada ulit for the second time." 

738 schools to postpone start of classes due to habagat, Carina

The school plans to push through with Monday's class opening.

"Sa mga magulang ng mga students namin sa Nueve De Febrero Elementary School, welcome po and safe na safe kayo. Ang mga anak niyo po is 100 percent na safe sa dito sa aming paaralan," Tamba said.

Rizal High School in Pasig, second home to almost 13,000 students, said teachers on duty during Brigada Eskwela would get service credits which they could use as leaves. 

"Iyong ating mga teachers na magbibigay ng serbisyo voluntarily sa school... na kung saan iyong number of hours na ire-render nila sa Brigada Eskwela or sa Oplan Balik Eskwela ay mabibigyan po sila ng kaakibat na service credits. Na kung saan magagamit naman ng ating mga teachers para sa pag-o-offset. Halimbawa, nagkasakit sila sa mga susunod na buwan, so hindi po sila makakaltasan ng kanilang sweldo dahil meron po silang naipong service credits," school Principal Richard Santos said Monday.

Patrick Malig, an alumnus of Rizal High School, is one of those who participated in the annual Brigada Eskwela.

Malig said this was his show of gratitude to the teachers, students, and personnel who contributed to his growth in and out of the comforts of the campus.

"Nanggaling din po kami sa pandemic before. Nakita pa namin iyong struggles na i-revive ulit iyong facilities. Kaya kami po mismo - bilang iyong batch na gumraduate - gusto po namin silang tulungan na maayos po ulit iyong classrooms, na makapag-aral din po sila nang mabuti," Malig said. 

TEACHERS' PLEA 

In a statement Friday, the Teachers' Dignity Coalition called for a postponement of the opening of classes to "prioritize allowing our kababayans, teachers, parents, and students to address their domestic challenges stemming from the impact of typhoons and floods". 

"The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) strongly recommends postponing the opening of classes by at least one week in affected areas, and ideally, nationwide. We believe that Sec. Sonny Angara and President Marcos will understand this recommendation, particularly since many LGUs have already declared a state of calamity," said TDC National Chairperson Benjo Basas.

For the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), the postponement of school opening would mean "an inevitable consequence of the national government's gross incompetence and negligence in disaster preparedness and addressing the vulnerable state of Philippine schools". 

"It is disheartening that once again, children's education is being sacrificed due to the government's failure to adequately prepare and respond," said ACT Chairperson Vladimer Quetua.

"Are we doomed to have education constantly disrupted every time there is a calamity?" he added. 

ACT is asking the government to implement "urgent and tangible plans" to rehabilitate typhoon-stricken schools.