MAASIN CITY, Southern Leyte, Aug. 24 (PNA) –- The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has vowed to address problems which hinder the construction of school buildings in far-flung areas in the province.
DPWH Southern Leyte Engineering District (DPWH-SLED) Assistant District Engineer Allan Eway said the agency has been meeting with top DPWH officials and schools division superintendents of the Department of Education (DepEd) to discuss the said matter.
“The government is doing everything to complete delayed school projects and ensure that similar projects in the future will be implemented smoothly,” Eway said.
At present, Eway cited shortage of funds as the most common constraint in the process. This is due to the exclusion of mobilization cost in the agreed contract amount for projects in inaccessible areas.
Recently, all assistant district engineers in the region who are assigned as point persons for school building projects gathered for a dialogue with Engr. Danilo Dequito who was tasked by DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson to check special projects.
“We are asked to make a report so that Secretary Singson will know the concerns on the ground with regards to school building construction,” Eway added.
Under the 2014 allocation, two school building projects of DPWH-SLED are not yet completed at present due to the additional cost incurred by the process of bringing construction materials to the site.
These projects include the two-classroom building each for Amaga Elementary School in the town of Hinundayan and Sta. Cruz Elementary School in Saint Bernard. The two projects intended for remote areas have a combined cost of PhP2,030,000.00
In 2014, the DPWH-SLED was tasked to build 103 classrooms worth Php100,550,000.00
“If requesting for additional fund is not anymore realistic, we will discuss with DepEd if it’s possible to modify the project to cut the cost,” Eway said.
As a result, the DPWH field offices are now encouraged to include transportation cost of construction materials in remote sites in their computation of budget allotments for future projects.
For 2015, the national government has earmarked Php213.15 million for the construction of 202 classrooms for public secondary schools in the province, in line with the full implementation of K-12 curriculum next year.(PNA)