People brave the sudden heavy downpour along Corazon Aquino Elementary School in Bataan Road, Quezon City on  May 9, 2023. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News/File

MANILA — Education Secretary Sonny Angara on Monday expressed confidence that new policies on the suspension of classes during inclement weather will result to lesser learning disruptions to students, even as schools reverted to the old school calendar.

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“Kasi dati kapag naabutan namin kapag signal 1, cancel na kaagad. Iniba na namin. Sinabi namin depende na iyan sa actual weather conditions. Nasa bawat lungsod kung gusto nila mag-cancel, at ang request pa ng ibang paaralan mabigyan pa sila ng mas malaking puwang kapag di malakas lalo na yung mga private schools na sana di na mag-cancel,” Angara said.

“Sa tingin ko nga mas maganda ngayon kasi last year kung maalala niyo, nagbukas tayo end of July. July 29. Binabaha na tayo. I think 3 or 4 cities nagdeclare ng state of calamity. Valenzuela, Malabon. Kaya ngayon at least medyo ligtas yung ating mga bata,” Angara added.

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The Education chief, meanwhile, hopes that government may soon start by next year the construction of the proposed 105,000 additional classrooms to address the country’s existing backlog.

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“Meron nga tayo proposal na PPP na 105,000 classrooms. Uutangin iyon pero 10 years to pay iyon. Iyon yung proposal natin. Dumadaan na siya sa NEDA. So may mga approvals iyon. Irereview iyon yung proposal natin. Pero sa tingin natin kapag din natin ito ginawa mapag-iiwanan tayo,” he said.

“Sa proposal namin kapag dumaan ng NEDA iyon, siguro by next year makakapagsimula na ng construction.”

Angara said priority areas for the construction of additional classrooms are NCR, region 4-A, and other urban areas.

“So usually mga region 4-A, NCR, mga urban areas yung talagang nangangailangan. Pero di naman nangangahulugan na doon lang tayo magcoconstruct,” he said.

The DepEd chief accompanied President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday in his visit to the Epifanio Delos Santos Elementary School in Malate, Manila, to monitor the first day of classes.

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