Iloilo City eyes P50M for new classrooms to ease overcrowding

ILOILO CITY — Mandurriao National High School is bursting at the seams, and Iloilo City is asking for P50 million to fix it. The City Council on Wednesday approved a resolution backing Mayor Raisa Treñas’ appeal to Senator Bam Aquino for funding to build a four-story, 12-classroom building to decongest the school’s 3,349 students.

Currently, some classes are squeezed into makeshift rooms or temporary structures — spaces that become dangerous when heavy rains and typhoons strike. The new building promises not just extra space, but a safe, modern learning environment for today’s students and generations to come.

Acting Majority Floor Leader Frances Grace Parcon-Torres hailed the council’s unanimous approval, stressing that the resolution is a formal request awaiting the senator’s green light.

“With rising enrollment, Mandurriao can no longer make do with temporary classrooms. This building could be a game-changer for our students,” she said.

The move underscores Iloilo City’s push to expand educational infrastructure and give students the classrooms they deserve — before the next storm hits.