The Department of Education (DepEd) on Saturday, October 11, said it will expedite the repair of classrooms damaged by the recent earthquakes.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara joined other government officials in Davao Oriental to assess the impact of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake and to oversee the agency’s rapid response operations for affected schools.

The DepEd chief said the agency has frontloaded and accelerated the release of its quick response funds—a process that previously took up to two years—to provide faster assistance to schools hit by recent calamities in Masbate, Cebu, and most recently, Davao Oriental.

To date, ₱139.4 million in aid has been released for typhoon-hit schools in Masbate, while validation and damage assessments are ongoing in Cebu and Davao Oriental.

“Hindi na puwedeng maghintay pa ng dalawang taon bago dumating ang tulong,” Angara said.

“Kapag nasira ang paaralan, dapat mabilis ang aksyon, dahil bawat araw na nasasayang ay isang araw na hindi nakakapag-aral ang mga bata,” he added.

As of 9:00 a.m. on October 11, DepEd reported that 1,006 schools were affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck offshore near Manay, Davao Oriental, on Friday, impacting around 100,000 learners and 10,000 teachers across different regions. Among those affected, 139 learners and 50 teachers sustained injuries.

To ensure safety, 97% of the affected schools suspended classes on Friday to allow for structural inspections.

Initial visual assessments found 575 schools with varying degrees of damage, with estimated repair costs reaching ₱2.23 billion. DepEd’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service, along with engineers and DRR coordinators, are conducting rapid site inspections in coordination with the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and local government units (LGUs).

Angara emphasized DepEd’s commitment to strengthening its internal engineering capacity to complement national and local recovery efforts.

“Mayroon tayong 472 engineers sa buong bansa, at kailangan pa nating palawakin ang bilang at kakayahan nila,” Angara said.

“Kasama ang DPWH at mga lokal na pamahalaan, gusto nating bumuo ng isang mas mabilis, mas matatag, at mas maaasahang sistema ng pagtugon,” he added.