Jamaine Punzalan

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomes U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth during a courtesy call at Kalayaan Hall, Malacañan Palace, on March 28, 2025. This marks the first visit  by a high-ranking official from the Trump Administration to the Philippines, with a focus on security cooperation. Hegseth's visit to the Philippines is part of a broader Indo-Pacific tour aimed at reinforcing regional partnerships. Yummie Dingding, PPA pool

Article (news)

Katrina Domingo

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered government agencies to check all electrical structures in schools following his inspection of the San Francisco High School’s Dao Building, which was heavily damaged by fire on June 15, a day before the opening of classes.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/15/fire-hits-quezon-city-school-a-day-before-class-opening-1711">Fire hits Quezon City school a day before class opening</a></div><p>“As usual, electrical na naman ang naging problema kaya yun ang kailangan nating bantayan… dahil ang mga school room natin, school buildings, school facilities, medyo luma na din,” Marcos told reporters after inspecting the site.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FabscbnNEWS%2Fvideos%2F1048231584043789%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0" width="560" height="314" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span>“‘Yung sa electrical, kinakargahan na natin ng computer, ng electric fan, yung iba aircon kaya talagang overloaded na kaya ganito kaya siguro we have to look at other schools also at tiyakin na at the very least may magandang fuse box para hindi makapag overload sa ating electrical system,” he added.</div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/16/deped-student-learning-in-fire-affected-high-school-will-be-as-normal-as-possible-1749">DepEd: Student learning in fire-affected high school will be as normal as possible</a></div><p>Electrical systems in educational facilities need to be checked regularly as schools usually add new appliances annually, Education Secretary Sonny Angara said.</p><p>“May standing instruction na tayo diyan na i-check talaga kasi nag-aadd tayo ng appliances every year,” he said in a separate interview.</p><p>“‘Yung appliances na ‘yun mas malaki yung kinakailangang kuryente so talagang nao-overload yung karamihan ng electrical apparatus nila sa eskuwelahan kaya kailangan talaga i-check yun,” Angara added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>NEW BUILDING</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Marcos said the government would demolish what remains of the fire-hit 2-story school building and replace it with a 4-story structure to accommodate more classrooms and facilities.</p><p>The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has recommended to demolish the building instead of repairing it.</p><p>“We must look to the reconstruction nitong nasira dahil kahit na sa labas, makikita ninyo na mukhang structurally hindi na maaasahan yung mga structure dito kaya kailangan na gibain,” he said.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/15/tv-patrol-high-school-building-sa-quezon-city-nasunog-2009">TV PATROL: High school building sa Quezon City nasunog</a></div><p>“It’s an opportunity for us to upgrade the building, but it’s unfortunate that we have had to because of the fire,” he added.</p><p>The DPWH recommended an overhaul of the San Francisco High School’s Dao Building as the structure is already 45-years old, Angara said.</p><p>“Ang report sa amin ng DPWH is P180 million to construct a new 4-story, 36 classrooms para kumpleto na, isahan na,” he said in a separate interview.</p><p>The new building can accommodate between 1,200 and 1,500 students, and is expected to be completed in one year.</p><p>“Additional classrooms kasi kailangan nila dito sa paaralan dahil sa expanding population, nasa gitna siya so dumadami kada taon yung estudyante,” he said.</p><p>The old building was built in the 1980s and houses a library, a conference room and several laboratories for different subjects, said school principal Marissa Rodriguez.</p><p>“Mga P3-million worth daw po yung na-damage,” she said.</p><p>“Malaki po talaga ang pasalamat ko at walang bata [noong nangyari ang sunog]… Imagine na lang kung ano ang itsura namin kung first day [of classes] siya nasunog],” she added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>ASSURANCE</strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Marcos also assured school officials that the government would replace all materials, including teachers’ personal belongings and gadgets that were razed in the fire.</p><p>The DepEd initially delivered 10 computers, replacement chairs and additional electric fans to replace some of the damaged items.</p><p>Despite the incident over the weekend, classes at the San Francisco High School started on time on June 16 as some 600 students were temporarily transferred to a nearby DepEd building.</p><p>The school is also implementing a 2-shift system to accommodate all affected students in spite of the limited space.</p><p>Last week, Marcos also visited schools in Bulacan ahead of the opening of classes to check the condition of several public facilities for teachers and students.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/6/10/explain-lack-of-running-water-in-bulacan-schools-malaca-ang-orders-water-body-1515">Explain lack of running water in Bulacan schools, Malacañang orders water body</a></div><p>Aside from inspecting electrical systems, the President ordered officials to improve toilets in public schools and review why some educational institutions lack water when they regularly pay their monthly dues for basic services.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oaenbn_8jRU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered government agencies to check all electrical structures in schools following his inspection of the San Francisco High School’s Dao Building, which was heavily damaged by a fire. </p>

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday ordered government agencies to check all electrical structures in schools following his inspection of the San Francisco High School’s Dao Building, which was heavily damaged by a fire.

Marcos orders review of electrical systems in schools after recent fire incidents

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

Nation

Marcos orders review of electrical systems in schools after recent fire incidents

Katrina Domingo,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 18, 2025 12:40 PM PHT

Read More:

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Sonny Angara

Department of Education

DepEd

education

school

Quezon City

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.